Meant to Be
by elizaye
Summary: "If our parents won't let us be together, we'll elope." "Who said we'd elope? I never agreed to that." "Fine. Then I'd kidnap you and force you to be my lover." "You beautiful, beautiful man..Who said you'd have to force me?" ON INDEFINITE HIATUS; so so sorry!
1. Back to School

**Author's Note:** God, ideas come at the most inconvenient times, for me. Maybe about a month ago, I was in the middle of the shower when I got the idea for this story. So many different possible scenes popped into my head, dialogue and all, and it wasn't like I could hop straight out and put them to paper (or computer). Ugh! Anyway, I salvaged what I could remember into a document and started building from it, haha. I'm thinking that this should be a relatively short one, and it probably won't be updated as often as _Turncoat_, just because I don't care about it as much. (Yes, I play favorites.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from Harry Potter, nor do I own any portion of their world.

**Chapter 1: Back to School**

"So, what did your father tell you this afternoon, when you were boarding the train?"

"He said he loved me, and that—"

"No, _after_ he shot me that dirty look."

"Oh, you wanted to know what he said about _you_, you mean?" she said innocently.

He sighed dramatically. "Of course."

She smiled and reached up to rest a hand on his cheek. "He told me to, and I quote, 'stay the bloody hell away from that foul git'."

He laughed. "And what did you say?"

"I told him that I'd stayed away from you for six years already, and a seventh would be absolutely no problem."

He turned his face toward her hand and kissed her palm. "What a little liar you are."

"Now, whose fault is that?"

"Hey, you can't blame it all on me. You were already a piece of work when we first met."

She shook her head. "You really bring out the worst in me."

He grinned. "The worst in your opinion is the best in mine," he murmured.

He shifted forward to kiss her, and her eyes fluttered shut.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"Good lord, don't say that. It sounds like a lie, coming out of _your_ mouth."

"That hurts my feelings, dove."

Instead of replying, she pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.

Then someone knocked on the door.

"Rose? Is someone in there with you?"

She broke their kiss, looking at the door in alarm. "Oh god, it's Albus," she hissed.

He didn't seem to be paying attention—his mouth traveled down her neck and to her collarbone, where he nipped at her playfully.

"Stop that," she whispered. "Did you need something, Albus?" she called out.

His mouth traveled farther down and latched onto one of her breasts, and she bit back a moan, arching into him.

"I just thought I heard something."

Her head fell back as he continued to lavish attention upon her breasts, and her mouth fell open as she gasped for air.

"Please," she whispered achingly, but she now wasn't sure whether she was begging to stop or to continue.

"Rose?"

Goddamn it. If she just went to the door and showed him that she was fine, he would leave them alone.

With great effort she shoved Scorpius onto his back, straddling his hips. He smirked like the devil, and she realized too late that she was positioned above his rock-hard length. His hands gripped her hips, holding her still, and he thrust upward once, hard.

"Oh gods, _yes!_"

Then she clapped both hands over her mouth, eyes wide.

"Rose… who's in there with you? If you don't answer me right now, I'm coming in."

"Oh fuck, just let him come in," the fair blond whispered from beneath her.

"Albus, please don't," she said in a strained voice. "This is so embarrassing…"

"_Oh_. S—sorry, Rose. I'll see you tomorrow morning, all right?"

Scorpius flipped her onto her back and pulled out before thrusting back in. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream, and he plunged his tongue into the opening, stroking her tongue.

She turned her head away. "Yes, Albus," she said a little breathlessly. "Tomorrow—"

She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning as Scorpius began pumping in and out of her. She gripped his shoulders and stared up into his eyes, trying to tell him with a look that she was going to get him back for this.

He only smirked and lowered his head to kiss her lips, never stopping the rapid motion of his hips.

* * *

"Did you have a late night last night, Rose? You're awfully late for breakfast, for the first day of school."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I was getting settled in the new room, and I lost track of time."

"Ah yes, the Head Dormitories," Nadine said. "You and Albus are going to have a great time this year, aren't you?" she added, winking.

Rose gave her best friend a light shove. "Don't joke around like that. I won't speak to you anymore if you keep it up," she said, smiling.

Then someone took the seat across from them, and Rose looked up to see Albus.

"Speak of the devil," she said to Nadine, grinning.

"What are you two conspiring about?" Albus asked.

"_Conspiring?_" Nadine repeated. Her hand flew to her chest, and a look of mock horror took over her features. "We would _never_."

Albus chuckled. "Good morning, girls," he said.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Nadine asked. "Rose here apparently didn't get much sleep." Then she frowned. "And why are _you_ so late?"

"I slept very well, thank you. And I ran into a few first years who threw Dungbombs in the corridor, so I had to deal with them," Albus responded.

"Wow, causing trouble already? Class hasn't even officially begun," Rose commented.

Albus shrugged. "You were quite a troublemaker yourself," he said. "I'm surprised that Professor McGonagall still chose you to be Head Girl."

"I _do_ have a leg up," Rose admitted. "It doesn't hurt to be Hermione Granger's daughter."

Nadine sighed. "The only cool thing about _my_ parents is that they live above the Leaky Cauldron," she said.

She received a light tap on her head from behind, and she turned around, ready to give hell to whoever dared disrupt her breakfast. But upon seeing the perpetrator, she stopped short, and Rose turned around, interested.

Professor Longbottom stood behind their bench, an amused look on his face.

"I'm disappointed that you can't think of anything better about your parents, Nadine," he said.

"Well, I don't have the same passion for Herbology that you do, Dad," she replied, rolling her eyes.

Professor Longbottom laughed at that and continued on his way toward the professors' table.

"I like your dad," Albus said. "He's one of the better professors here, in my opinion."

Nadine's response made Albus laugh, so Rose chuckled along with him, but she didn't hear what Nadine said—a certain blond across the hall had caught her eye and was throwing her a seductive look that was making her feel uncomfortably hot.

"Rose?"

She tore her gaze away from those heated silvery eyes and looked at Albus. "Yes?" she said.

"Are you back on Earth?" he asked.

She reached across the table to punch his shoulder. "Shut up."

Nadine laughed. "You caught her fantasizing about her ideal lover," she teased.

"Nadine, shut up!"

"The more she protests, the more you know it's true," Nadine told Albus. "So what's this one like? Is he tall, dark and handsome?"

Rose sighed and decided to go along with it. "Aren't they all?"

"Ooh," said Nadine. "Did he have dark hair and bright green—"

"Nadine, don't," Albus said, cutting her off.

"Seriously, Nadine. We're cousins. It's not going to happen," Rose said.

"Ugh, but you two would make such _cute_ babies," Nadine said.

"Okay, I've officially lost my appetite."

"Hey, am I _that_ repulsive?" said Albus, looking mock-hurt.

"Oh come on, Albus. It'd practically be incest."

"Cousins get married all the time," Nadine pointed out.

Rose rolled her eyes and got up.

"Hey, you're not leaving already, are you? You barely ate anything," Nadine said. "I promise I won't keep talking about that."

"I'll catch up with you guys in class—Transfiguration is first this morning, right?"

She left without waiting for a response—she'd noticed Scorpius' disappearance from the Slytherin table and knew that he'd be waiting for her to join him.

But as soon as she left the Great Hall, a hand closed around her wrist, and she looked back and saw that familiar pair of bright, green eyes.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Albus asked. "I've hardly gotten two words in with you since we got back to Hogwarts."

"It's not as though we didn't see each other over summer break," Rose replied with a smile. "I'm surprised you aren't sick of me already."

"How could I get sick of you?"

She shrugged. "Did you need something?"

"I just… felt like you were avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you," Rose said.

She was beginning to feel impatient—Scorpius was waiting…

"Who was in your room last night?" he asked.

Oh, fuck.

Rose bit her lip. "I um… this is really embarrassing, Albus. I'd really rather not talk about it."

He frowned. "Well, if you're going to have people over, it's something we should talk about. You don't _have_ to mention names, I guess."

"I was alone," she lied.

"_Oh_," said Albus, cheeks reddening.

"Exactly."

She figured he'd believe that her mortification was due to having been caught masturbating—it'd be much easier to explain that way. She knew that he'd never tattle to their parents about her activities at school, but she knew he hated covering things up; he was very straightforward with his parents.

Not that Rose was a terrible child. She just… didn't mind white lies, every now and then. And perhaps a few not-so-white lies…

"Weasley!"

Oh _god_, the mere sound of his voice turned her on…

"Ah, Head Girl Weasley," he said, grinning as he stepped over to them.

She turned to face the beautiful blond. "Hello, Malfoy."

"Potter," Scorpius said, nodding in Albus' direction.

"Malfoy," Albus acknowledged, instinctively drawing himself up to his full height so that he could see eye-to-eye with Scorpius.

"Hope you packed your mother's brains and brought them back to school with you this year. I'm gonna give you a run for your money," Scorpius said to Rose.

She smiled. "What, is this supposed to be your scare tactic? Is it going as well as you thought it would?"

He grinned. "Scare tactic? Oh, I wouldn't. It's all _friendly_ competition."

"Are you two still taking all the same classes?" Albus asked.

She looked at Scorpius. "He's always copying me."

"Psh, as though I would stoop so low as to copy a Weasley."

"_Hey_," Albus said. "Don't say that. I can take points from you."

"For what, talking?" Scorpius said. He rolled his eyes. "It's all in good fun. I don't get offended when Weasley insults me, do I?"

She smiled. "Of _course_ you get offended, you bigheaded—"

Albus cleared his throat to cut her off. "Malfoy, where were you off to?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't have to report to you."

"Actually, I'm Head Boy, so you do."

"Go complain to McGonagall, then," Scorpius said. "I don't have to tell you where I'm going."

He strolled past Rose and Albus toward the huge doors that led out of the castle. He glanced at Rose as he walked by her, and they shared the briefest of moments before he passed by. Then he was gone, and Rose turned to watch as the door fell shut again.

Albus had just ruined another opportunity, hadn't he?

He'd thwarted—albeit unintentionally—so many of their attempts to meet up all through last year, and from the looks of things, it seemed like this year wouldn't be too different. Rose fought the urge to sigh.

"Are you sure you're not hungry, Rose?" Albus asked.

She nodded. "I'm sure. You've hardly eaten at all, though—you should go back in there."

"All right, then. See you in class."

"Bye," said Rose.

Albus disappeared back into the Great Hall, and Rose paused, conflicted. Should she follow Scorpius out onto the grounds? Maybe they'd have a bit of time alone… but they'd never tried meeting outside because it'd be too easy to get caught—on most of the grounds, they'd be in plain sight of the castle.

And the Forbidden Forest was just too creepy for Rose. Her father had told her enough about those giant spiders to keep her from ever wanting to set foot in those trees.

But she wanted him so badly…

She sighed and started walking in the direction of the library, but before she'd gotten three steps, she spun on her heel and rushed through the exit. He was nowhere to be seen.

"I almost thought you weren't coming," he said from behind her, and she turned to see that he'd been leaning against the wall by the door.

"I almost didn't come," she replied.

"Glad you did, then," he said, stepping toward her.

"People can see us here," Rose pointed out a bit nervously.

"Makes it all the more exciting, doesn't it?" he said.

Then he reached her and bent his head down to kiss her lips. Gods, he was such an amazing kisser. She reached her hands up and tangled them in his hair, holding him close to her.

He suddenly pulled away and backed up a step, and her eyes popped open. Before she had time to speak, the giant doors swung open.

"There you are, Scor."

Scorpius turned his head in the direction of the doors, and Rose reluctantly did so as well. Illianne Nott, a seventh year Slytherin, stood in the entrance, looking suspiciously between the two of them.

"Illianne," Scorpius said, nodding to acknowledge her.

"I was looking for you," she said. "What are you doing out here with… _her?_"

"I have a name," Rose said. "And why can't darling _Scor_ be out here with me? It's not my fault he thinks I'm beautiful."

"Don't kid yourself," Scorpius scoffed. "As if I could fall for your… average appearance."

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Illianne said, tossing her hair back. "Come with me, Scor."

"We'll finish this later, Weasley," Scorpius said to Rose.

He started moving back into the castle, and Illianne turned away to open the doors. Rose reached out to touch his cheek, holding his face in place for just a moment longer. Their eyes burned into each other for a heartbeat, and then he turned away.

Rose turned away as the large doors slammed shut and heaved a sigh. Oh, how she wished she could kiss him, or even just hold hands with him, in public.

But then word would get around about a Gryffindor dating a Slytherin. It'd be made even more interesting because of their backgrounds—he came from a family of former Death Eaters, while she was born to a couple who had helped to destroy the Dark Lord.

And once word got out and her father found out, he would probably strangle her. No, that wasn't quite right. First, he'd take it out on Scorpius, and he'd probably use it as an excuse to attack his father, too. And _then_ he would come home to wring her neck.

She sighed and reentered the castle. She didn't particularly feel like going back into the Great Hall, so she reluctantly headed upstairs to wait for class to start.

* * *

Bloody hell, girls could be so fucking annoying.

How long could they go on, just talking like this? He already hadn't responded for over three minutes, but she was _still_ talking to him. Couldn't she take a hint?

"Illianne," he said, interrupting her.

"Yes?" she said, looking up at him.

"I didn't hear a single word you just said."

Hmm, perhaps that had been a bit too blunt. Her eyes began to well up, and her cheeks reddened. Yes, definitely too blunt.

"Sorry," he said, but he knew he didn't sound sincere.

They stood there for a long moment, and he turned his eyes away, looking at the dusty desks that surrounded them. When was she going to finish staring? He wished that he could use class as an excuse, but they both had Transfiguration first that morning, so there was no way for him to duck out.

Finally, she spoke.

"I don't understand, Scor."

When she didn't elaborate, he sighed and asked, "What don't you understand?"

"You're so aloof," she said. "Just a few weeks ago, we were talking like normal, weren't we? What happened?"

Well, he couldn't tell her the truth. He couldn't say that she was his distraction over the summer, that he only spent time with her because he wanted someone to be near him, and Rose was out of the question.

And unfortunately, it was way too early in the school year to cite stress as a factor. But then again, it was way too early in the year for her to begin accusing him of ignoring her. He could go with that.

"Just because I'm bored of one conversation doesn't mean I'm aloof, or that I've changed," he said. "It hasn't even been a day since we got back to Hogwarts, and you're already making it seem like I've been ignoring you or something."

She frowned. "I guess that makes sense," she conceded. "But you didn't zone out like this over the summer."

"Of course I didn't. Summers are boring, and there's nothing better to do than talk about shit," Scorpius said nonchalantly. "Once we get back to Hogwarts, life gets interesting again, and I don't like spending so much time talking about… nonsense."

She glared at him.

Too blunt, again.

"Scorpius Malfoy, did you just say that I was talking about _nonsense?_" she nearly screeched.

"Watch it, Illianne. If you screw up my hearing, I'll blind you."

"What's _wrong_ with you?" she demanded. "You're being so mean."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not in a very good mood today."

"But it's the first day of school. There's not much that can have happened to piss you off," she said.

"Well, this conversation is getting annoying," Scorpius said. "And don't get all offended again, will you? It's just tiring to have to listen to you whine. I'm only telling the truth."

"I—"

He cocked his head to the side and put on a thoughtful face as he continued, ignoring her, "You know, I remember a conversation we had this summer in which you told me that the thing you liked the most about talking to me was the fact that I was so honest."

She was glaring at him again, but it didn't really bother him.

"So why are you so upset that I'm being honest now?" he finished.

"You have no tact at all, Scor."

"Would you prefer an outright lie, then?"

She glared at him for a moment longer before stamping her foot once and letting out an exasperated shout. He winced exaggeratedly and lifted his right hand to point at his ear.

"Fine, fine. Have it your way. I won't bother you," Illianne said furiously.

Then she stormed out of the room.

He supposed he didn't have to treat her that way—it wasn't as though she was a terrible person. He was just tired of listening to her babble on about the same things.

Illianne spent a ridiculous amount of time talking to him about his mate, Apollo. But he knew that it was just an act. She was attempting to pique Scorpius' interest in her by pretending to be interested in someone else. Yeah, that would never work. Not in a million years.

Scorpius exited the room and headed upstairs for class, aware that it wouldn't be starting for another twenty minutes, more or less.

When he reached the room, he pushed the door open and found that the room was empty except for a redhead sitting in the front row. She turned her head when she heard the door open, and as soon as her eyes met his, he felt his blood begin to boil.

How could a girl affect him so much?

He moved toward her desk, and she stood up, smiling.

"I see you got away from Nott," she said.

"Yeah, thank fucking Merlin," Scorpius replied.

He pulled her into a short hug before backing up slightly and leaning down to kiss her. He'd never been big on kissing in the past, but kissing Rose was something he could never pass up.

She nipped at his lip playfully, and he felt himself heat up all over. Damn, didn't she know that that was going to make him want to fuck her right then and there? Of course she did.

He gripped her hips and pulled her lower body tight up against him so that she'd be able to feel his arousal, and then he thrust his hips a few times suggestively. She moaned into his mouth and deepened the kiss, twisting her fingers into his hair to keep his head in place.

Oh, this was bad. Someone could walk in at any moment.

But he didn't even _care_, as long as he could have her. He imagined what Albus Potter's face would look like if he walked in on his crush shagging his biggest rival in school.

Then the door creaked, and they sprung apart.

Scorpius crashed into the desk behind him, knocking it over, but he was able to catch his balance and avoid a clumsy fall. He spun to look at the newcomer and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Apollo was standing in the doorway. But relief quickly faded to annoyance as he took in the amused expression on his mate's face.

The git had _known_ that he was interrupting.

"Z—Zabini," Rose squeaked.

Apollo chuckled. "You look a wee bit flushed, Weasley," he said as he entered the room and shut the door.

"Knock it off, mate," Scorpius said as he righted the desk behind him. Then he reached out and took Rose's hand, and her eyes widened as she looked between him and Apollo.

"I know already," Apollo said, walking over to them.

Rose looked at Scorpius, furious. "I thought we agreed not to tell _anyone_."

"I didn't tell him anything," Scorpius said. "He guessed it. It's impossible for us to hide things from each other. You know that already. It's a miracle that we lasted through all of last year without him figuring it out."

"Not _all_ of last year," Apollo pointed out. "I found out near the end of last term."

"How?" Rose asked.

Apollo shrugged. "Does it matter? You two are wasting time, aren't you? You could be snogging."

Scorpius lunged at Apollo, but his mate had been expecting the blow and was able to duck out of the way in time. What he didn't expect was the solid punch he would receive from Rose.

Scorpius laughed aloud at the stunned expression on his mate's face.

"I fucking love you, Rose," he said.

Her eyes flitted to his face, and he remembered what she'd said when he last told her he loved her. She hadn't believed him, and apparently she still didn't. But he could tell that she was trying her best to hold back a smile.

"As you should," she replied, lifting her chin.

He grinned and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Oh, you two lovebirds," Apollo teased.

"Hey, haven't you learned anything?" Rose said, lifting her fist in a mock threat.

"Yeah, I have. I've learned that I'll have to dodge two blows instead of one."

Rose laughed and stepped closer to Scorpius. She lifted herself up on tiptoe and gave him a long, wet kiss that made his mind go blank for a moment. When she pulled away, he opened his eyes, slightly disoriented and extremely disappointed at the loss of contact.

"I've wanted _so_ badly to be able to do that in front of someone," she said.

"Damn, Scor, are you lucky," Apollo said, grinning.

Scorpius ignored his friend in favor of stealing another quick kiss from his redhead. He pressed his forehead against hers and wished they could miss class to spend the next two hours alone.

"You should go to your seat," Rose murmured.

"Mm… I know. Meet me after class?"

"We'll only have ten minutes before Double Potions," Rose said.

"Your point is?" Scorpius said.

Apollo chuckled, and Scorpius grinned as Rose's cheeks flushed.

"Embarrassed?" Scorpius teased.

Her eyes turned to Apollo. "I'm just not used to having anyone else know about us."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm trying my best not to eavesdrop," said Apollo, winking.

"Enough of that snark—shut up," Scorpius said.

Apollo took a seat at his usual desk, leaned back in his chair, and propped his legs up.

"Meet me," Scorpius said.

Rose sighed, and Scorpius knew that he'd won.

"Fine," she said.

"Great," he said, grinning. "Until then…"

Without warning, he reached down and hitched her leg around his waist. She grabbed onto his shoulders to stay steady, eyes wide with surprise. He thrust his hips a few times, making sure to press the bulge in his pants right up against the place that would affect her the most. She moaned and reached for him, but he released her and backed up a step, smirking.

She sat back down in her seat, eyes fixed on him. "I'll get you back for that."

He picked his bag up and sauntered toward his seat in the back row just as the door opened to let Helena Davies, a Ravenclaw, into the room. Scorpius dropped into the seat next to Apollo and leaned back, feeling very satisfied with himself.

He watched as Rose squirmed a bit in her seat and knew that she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about him for the next two hours. Success.

"You're looking mighty smug, aren't you?" Apollo commented.

"Shut up, mate."

* * *

**Author's Note:** By the way, I'm completely aware that the title of this story is pretty bad. I just couldn't come up with anything else. Lack of creative juice this morning? Definitely.


	2. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

**Author's Note:** I realized that it'd been a while since I last looked at this story… I promise I'll finish it eventually, because I already have an idea of where it's headed, but I just don't have as much inspiration when the story isn't Dramione. Hahaha. So I hope you guys can bear with the slower updates… xD

**Chapter 2: Gryffindor vs Slytherin**

Rose flipped to the side to avoid a Bludger pelting in her direction and watched as Apollo Zabini flew toward it. She braced herself for another attack, but the Slytherin Beater aimed the Bludger at Carrie Hanes, a Gryffindor Chaser in the third year, instead.

In her maneuver to avoid the Bludger, Carrie dropped the Quaffle, and Rose flew back and forth in front of the three goal posts, readying herself.

Dennis Marvan, a Slytherin Chaser, faked a goal attempt to her left, but Rose didn't move—he'd already used this once on her during the game, and while she'd let that goal get in, she'd learned from her mistake. So when the Quaffle went flying toward the right hoop, Rose zoomed in that direction and whacked the Quaffle out of range with the back end of her broom.

The Gryffindors cheered, but Rose refused to let herself get distracted. They were up, but only by forty points. And the Snitch was nowhere to be seen. She'd kept an eye on Albus and Scorpius whenever the Quaffle was closer to the other end of the pitch, but neither seemed to have spotted the tiny golden ball.

Then Zabini was floating beside her. "Nice block," he commented.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Is it a crime to pay you a compliment?"

Before she could respond, he leaned forward on his broom and shot away in the direction of a Bludger. She watched anxiously, hoping for another goal. Then a blur sped past her, and she saw the back of Scorpius' head. Had he seen the Snitch?

Albus was coming toward him, but Scorpius slowed down, and Albus came to a stop near him. They exchanged a few words, but Rose couldn't make them out.

Then the Slytherin Chaser Shannon Flint was coming at her, and she turned her attention back to the goal posts. Flint sent the Quaffle flying at the middle goal, but before it reached Rose's range, Carrie swooped in and stole it, immediately passing it to Dane Jensen, a sixth year Chaser.

Rose whooped along with the other Gryffindors as she watched the Quaffle move toward the opposite end.

A minute later, a Bludger flew past her, missing her by several yards, and she whipped her head to the side to see that it had been hit by Hugo. Frowning, she was about to tell him not to waste opportunities messing around like that when she heard a shout from somewhere behind her.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Weasley!"

She glanced over and saw Scorpius smirking in Hugo's direction as he flew in a small circle. The blond moved so gracefully in the air—it seemed as if he'd been _born_ to fly. He came to a stop, and his slate-grey eyes shifted to her. Her breath caught in her throat. Oh, she was being so stupid. It wasn't as though this was the first time she'd ever seen him before.

He cocked his head to the side, seemingly amused by her fixation on him.

Then Rose heard a loud whooshing sound and turned just in time to see the Quaffle flying toward one of the loops, just outside of her immediate reach. She dove to the side and barely managed to grasp it, almost tumbling off her broom in the process.

As she righted herself, she heard cheers and jeers from different areas in the stands. She hurled the Quaffle as hard as she could at Dane and watched as the Chasers from both teams pelted toward the opposite end of the pitch.

Rose glanced back toward the place where Scorpius had been to see that he hadn't moved an inch. When their eyes met again, he smirked knowingly, shook his head minutely, and took off. What an arse. She'd get him back for that later.

"Rose, what the hell were you looking at?" Albus demanded, flying up next to her.

"Keep your eye out for the Snitch," Rose replied.

"I _have_ been. What has _your_ eye been on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I blocked the goal, didn't I?"

"That should have been an easy save. How did you not see it coming until the last second?"

"Why don't you just say what you're trying to say and then go do your job?" Rose snapped.

Albus narrowed his eyes at her and flew away, leaving her to fume on her own.

Yes, she'd been distracted. But she hadn't screwed up big time—she'd caught the Quaffle anyway. This wasn't even the first time she'd gotten distracted during a game, and Albus hadn't gotten on her case in the past.

She resolved not to look at that damned Slytherin for the rest of the game.

Then she noticed that Albus was hovering beside Adam Saryan, the other Gryffindor Beater, high up above the stands. They were exchanging words, and she saw Adam nod his head in understanding. It was rare that Albus would give advice during games, and she wondered what he'd told Adam.

Loud gasps from the crowd drew Rose's attention, and she looked back at the pitch to see that Dane was on the ground, seemingly unconscious. But even as she registered that one of their Chasers was incapacitated, she prepared herself for the Slytherin offense—Marvan and Flint were passing the Quaffle back and forth as they approached.

Carrie zoomed between them from behind, aiming for another steal, but she was too quick this time and missed the catch. Just as Flint began pulled back her arm to throw the Quaffle, Rose noticed a Bludger rapidly approaching in her peripheral vision and was faced with a dilemma that had to be solved in a split second. Should she take the blow and catch the Quaffle, or let the goal in and avoid the Bludger?

Going with her instincts, she did a forward somersault in the air, narrowly avoiding the Bludger, and spun her broom, attempting to knock the Quaffle away from the goal with the tail end of her broom.

But she'd underestimated the time it would take her to make the somersault, and the Quaffle soared through the center loop.

"I owe you one, Apollo!" she heard Flint shout.

Damn Zabini.

Sean Moran, the final Chaser on the Gryffindor team, fetched the Quaffle and headed for the other end of the pitch. He gave her an encouraging smile as he passed, and she nodded to acknowledge him.

Then a green blur zipped past her, catching her eye, and she followed it to see Scorpius pausing about thirty yards to her right. He was looking around warily, and she frowned. A Bludger streaked toward him, and he took off again.

Rose followed the trajectory of the Bludger backwards and found the Beater who'd hit it: Adam. The stocky, dark-haired Armenian seemed to be following Scorpius' motions with his eyes, and Rose's stomach dropped.

What if Albus had noticed that she'd been staring at Scorpius? That would certainly explain why he had been so touchy about her being distracted. Oh, no.

When she didn't have to guard the goal posts, Rose kept an eye on the two of them, noticing that Adam was specifically targeting Scorpius. She wondered if the Slytherin had already figured out why.

Oh, was it too much to hope that Scorpius had suddenly offended Adam, and that Adam was just going after him because he was pissed? Rose sighed. It probably was. She scanned the skies for Albus and eventually found him making large circles high above the pitch, looking carefully.

Then the Quaffle started heading back toward Gryffindor's side of the pitch, and Rose turned her attention back to the game.

After blocking another shot to loud roars of approval from the Gryffindor stands, Rose found Scorpius circling above and behind the Gryffindor hoops, out of her normal line of vision. As she turned her eyes back to the pitch in order to make sure the Quaffle wasn't coming back, the Snitch zoomed into view and hovered a few inches away from her, perfectly within her reach.

She gasped and looked up at Albus, praying that he would happen to glance down at this precise moment—the Seeker had to be the one to catch the Snitch in order for it to count. But Albus was at the far end of the pitch, too far away for her to get his attention without attracting Scorpius' first. And since Scorpius was much, _much_ closer…

But then a large shadow passed over her, and she looked up to see Scorpius cruising down toward her. Damn, he'd seen it.

Rose spun her broom and whacked the Snitch with the end of it, sending it buzzing in the opposite direction. Scorpius spared a moment to give her an exasperated look before chasing it across the pitch.

"Come on, Albus, come _on_," Rose muttered.

She watched as Albus dove toward Scorpius—the Snitch was flying toward Albus and away from Scorpius, so he still had a chance…

But then Scorpius spiraled up into the air, holding his right arm up triumphantly, and Madam Hooch blew the whistle.

In the next moment, a Bludger appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and slammed into the back of Scorpius' head. His body slumped, and Rose's heart leaped into her throat. She zoomed forward a few feet instinctively, as did everyone else in the air, but two people nearest him—Flint and Sean—reached him first and helped to support him.

It was clear from the way his head lolled forward that he'd lost consciousness, and Rose followed the others to the ground, landing and hurrying toward him.

Some professors and numerous students had come down from the stands to see if he was all right. The first teacher to reach them was Professor Longbottom, who demanded that everyone back up a few steps to give them some room. He knelt by Scorpius, who was still being propped up by Sean and Flint, and leaned forward to check on him.

"He'll be fine," Professor Longbottom assessed. "Let's get him to the hospital wing, quickly."

"Who hit that last Bludger?" Madam Hooch demanded.

"I did," Adam said, stepping forward. "Sorry—I didn't see that he'd caught the Snitch until after I hit it."

Professor Longbottom had levitated Scorpius' body and was hurrying off the field with it, flanked by the Slytherin team and followed by a large group of other Slytherins. Professor Slughorn joined him near the edge of the pitch, and they headed up toward the castle together.

Rose only allowed herself to stare after them for a short while before tearing her eyes away. She wished she could follow, but it'd be way too obvious, especially after Gryffindor had just lost to Slytherin.

After hearing that Adam was going to be let off with a warning, Rose followed her teammates into the locker room and walked into the girls' section. Carrie was already shrugging her Quidditch robes off, looking very disappointed.

"We should change quickly," Rose said as she started removing her robes. "They took Dane up to the castle, and Albus is going to want all of us there to check on him."

Carrie nodded. "Yes, I know."

The newest addition to the team, Carrie was relatively withdrawn and had tried out for the team only at the insistent urging of her four roommates.

Rose had been extremely impressed with her talent—even Sean, son of Cassidy Moran from the Irish National Quidditch team, had complimented her and suggested that Albus let her onto the team. It was a pity Carrie wasn't a few years older. Then Rose could have played with her for a few more years.

They changed in silence and met the boys in the outer room a few minutes later. Albus looked sullen, and Adam seemed a little upset, but Sean was calm, as usual. Hugo looked up as the girls entered the room and smiled.

"We'll get them in the end," he said. "We always do, right? We've got the best Chasers ever."

Sean smiled. "Thanks, kiddo."

"Don't call me kiddo," said Hugo, frowning.

"Let's go," said Albus, getting to his feet and heading for the exit.

Rose noted that he hardly spared a glance in her direction. What the hell was wrong with him? Even if he suspected something, there was no reason for him to be this worked up over it. He _knew_ that she kept secrets from her parents, and he'd said that he understood.

She walked out of the locker room behind Hugo and Carrie and heard Adam and Sean walking behind her. Sean had a light step, while Adam's footfalls thudded loudly.

Sean's arm looped around her shoulders, and he pulled her into his side. "Is everything all right with you, Rose? You seem a bit distracted."

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"Oi, hands off my sister," said Hugo, who had turned to look and was now walking backwards.

"Turn around, or you'll trip," Carrie warned him.

"I'll be fine," Hugo replied.

"Aren't you a bit small to be picking on me, kiddo?" Sean said.

"I told you not to call me _kiddo_, Moran."

"Oh ho, are we back to a last name basis, Weasley?"

"Better than being called kiddo," Hugo said.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Will you grow up, Hugo?"

She shrugged her shoulders as a hint for Sean to remove his arm. He took the hint, but his hand lingered for a moment on the back of her neck, and she glanced up at him.

"You seem really tense," he commented.

"I'm fine," Rose said.

She noticed that Albus was walking faster than the rest of them and was putting more distance between himself and the team. Carrie started walking faster to keep up.

"What's up with Albus?" Sean said.

"I don't know," said Rose.

The back of Hugo's shoe got caught on a rock, and he stumbled. Rose reached out for him, but Sean's reflexes were faster, and he caught Hugo's arm, straightening him out.

"Thanks," Hugo mumbled grudgingly, pulling his arm back and turning to face forward.

"I _told_ you that you'd trip," Carrie said, glancing back at him.

"Shut up, Hanes."

They made the rest of the trek into the castle and up to the hospital wing silently, all aware that their team captain seemed to be in a rather foul mood.

A few students were gathered near the door, and Rose recognized them as a small group of Slytherin girls who always had their eyes on Scorpius. They scattered as Albus and the other Gryffindors approached, and Rose wondered what her dark-haired friend looked like. Was he really that intimidating?

Then Albus opened the doors to the hospital wing and led the way inside. The Slytherin Quidditch team was huddled around a bed, talking in hushed voices. The professors were gone, so Rose presumed that they'd decided Scorpius was going to be all right.

She wondered how long it would take him to recover from a blow to the head like that—she knew that Bludgers were fully capable of breaking bones. Could he suffer brain damage? Suddenly, fear gripped her as her mind posited the scenario of Scorpius waking up and not remembering anything that had happened between them.

She mindlessly followed the others over to a cot across the room from the Slytherins.

"Hey, guys. Sorry about that," said Dane, smiling ruefully.

"Hey, you got knocked off a broom. That's hardly your fault," Sean said. "Zabini's a damn good Beater. The Slytherins don't even _need_ their second Beater."

"Shay's not half bad," Hugo said, scrunching his eyebrows together as he thought about the other Slytherin Beater.

"I'd like to see Zabini get unseated someday. You feeling up to that, Hugo?" Dane asked. "If not, I'm sure Adam wouldn't mind handling it."

Adam frowned. "I still need to get him back for the last time he got me. I'm always watching my back, now."

"Speaking of which, you said that you'd do that this game, didn't you?" Hugo remembered. "We won't get another shot at him, because he'll be graduating."

"Damn, I'd forgotten he was a year above me," Dane said.

"It's all right. We'll ask one of the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw Beaters to do it for us," Adam said.

"You should've really gone after him this game," said Dane. "I saw you keeping an eye out for him towards the beginning—what happened?"

Rose thought of the tall, blond Slytherin was lying in a cot across the room from them and immediately glanced in Albus' direction, but he didn't react to the query. Had she been thinking too much? No. No, there was definitely something going on.

"He went after Malfoy instead," Carrie said.

Everyone looked at her. Rose had to fight to keep a surprised expression off her face—as a Chaser, how could Carrie have had the free time to observe Adam's interactions? Had it been _that_ obvious?

"Come to think of it, you _were_ on Malfoy's tail quite a bit this game," Hugo said, turning to look at Adam.

"What can I say?" Adam replied. "The git pissed me off one too many times."

"Is there any permanent damage?" Albus asked, finally speaking.

Dane shook his head. "Are you all right, Albus? You look a bit… off."

"I'm fine. It's great to hear you're okay. Now I think Rose and I should probably head out—we've got another meeting with Professor McGonagall, right?"

Albus finally looked over at Rose, and she met his eyes steadily.

"Yes, but we still have time. She said anytime after the game today would be fine."

"I want to get it over with early so I can get back and start on homework."

Rose nodded.

The others, sensing some strange tension between Rose and Albus, kept looking back and forth between them, as though expecting one of them to explode at any moment.

"Is there something going on that I just have no clue about?" Hugo asked.

That boy really didn't know when to shut up.

When Albus didn't respond, Rose said, "It's nothing."

"_Sure_," said Sean. "Why don't you two leave and deal with your issues? The last thing we need is a ton of drama to distract the both of you for our next two games."

Rose noticed the way that Albus tensed at the word "issues", but she didn't comment.

"See you at practice tomorrow," Albus said before turning and exiting the room.

"He's being really moody, isn't he?" Dane commented. "If anyone has a right to be whining and sullen right now, it's me."

Rose smiled. "Get better soon, Dane."

He nodded. "Thanks, Rose."

Rose started to walk away, but Sean reached out and gently grabbed onto her elbow. She turned slightly, looking up at him expectantly.

"Don't let him pressure you into doing anything you don't want to, okay?" he said.

If it weren't for the genuinely concerned look on his face, Rose would have been offended—how dare he insinuate that she was a pushover! But she had to forgive him because he was only worried for her.

Which was sort of sweet, she supposed.

"Don't worry about it, Sean," she said.

The tall Chaser released her hand, and she turned to head for the exit. She glanced in the direction of the Slytherins and saw that they were all still speaking quietly. Oh, if only she could see Scorpius.

Then she exited the hospital wing and saw Albus leaning against the wall by the door, waiting.

"Let's go, then," said Rose.

She started down the hallway, but Albus didn't budge.

"What's wrong with you?"

He fixed angry eyes on her. Then, before she could react, he was in motion, snatching her arm and dragging her to the end of the hall and up a flight of stairs. She considered protesting but decided against it—the last thing she'd want to do would be to attract attention to them, especially if Albus was about to confront her about her relationship with Scorpius.

They entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and Rose immediately looked around, worried that Professor Finnigan might be around. But he was nowhere to be seen. He was almost always here—where could he be?

"Staff meeting," Albus said, answering her unspoken question.

"Oh," she said. There was an awkward pause before she asked, "Do you want to tell me what all this is about?"

"You bloody well know what it's about," he replied.

Should she own up to it? No. Not if there was any chance of denying it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said.

"I had a feeling you were lying at the beginning of the year when you said you were alone that night. It was just a strange feeling, and I shrugged it off. But now I'm starting to think I was right all along."

"Albus, I—"

"And in the past month, it's gotten more and more obvious that you're into _someone_. You've been daydreaming more and more often. I figured you'd found someone and just didn't want me to know about it, just in case I accidentally let it slip in a message to my parents or something. But _Malfoy?_"

Rose went for a completely perplexed expression. "M—Malfoy?" she spluttered. "How did you ever come up with _him?_"

"You were staring straight at him today, weren't you? _He_ was the reason why you almost missed—"

"I wasn't looking at anyone, Albus."

"I _saw_ you, Rose."

"Then ask anyone else," she said through gritted teeth. "Even if I was looking in his direction, which I don't even remember doing, that doesn't mean I'm interested in him at all. You have to look at him too, don't you?"

"That's because of my position as a Seeker," Albus said. "Not because I want to."

"Merlin… Scorpius Malfoy? Is that _really_ what you think of my taste?"

"As a guy, I can't exactly judge, but I've heard plenty from girls that he's supposedly gorgeous."

"Oh, so you think I'm shallow."

"That isn't the point, Rose!"

"It's exactly the point!"

"_I saw you!_" he hissed furiously. "I _saw_ you staring at him!"

"How do you know I was looking at him, then? What if I was zoning out and just happened to be looking in his direction? I honestly do not remember staring at him, _ever_, during a game. Never."

She cursed herself for her lack of control. Well, at least they'd already finished their last match against Slytherin. She wouldn't have to worry about being caught staring at him again.

Albus looked a bit calmer, but his voice was still trembling slightly with anger. "Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying," said Rose.

She knew she had a good poker face—her mother and father were both shit at lying, so she had no idea where this talent had come from. Her Aunt Ginny, perhaps?

Albus assessed her expression for a long moment, and she began to think that maybe she should give up. But then he sighed and sat on a desk.

"Albus?" she said tentatively.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Surprised by the change in his tone, she didn't respond immediately.

"I shouldn't have gotten so worked up about it," he continued. "I should have just asked you straight out, instead of assuming. And fuming about it in the meanwhile. Sorry, Rose."

She sighed, relieved. "I thought you'd lost your mind for a while there," she said with a small smile.

"I know. I should have believed you the first time around. Fuck, I'm a rotten friend."

Rose shook her head, guilt immediately rising in her chest. "No, it's okay, Albus. I believe that you think you saw me looking at him." She allowed herself a giggle. "Of course you had to have thought that. I can't see any other way that you'd think I would _ever_…"

She felt like she didn't need to finish the sentence and left it hanging. Albus only chuckled.

"Do you actually want to go talk to Professor McGonagall now?" Rose asked.

He nodded. "Sure, let's go."


	3. A Little Misunderstanding

**Author's Note:** Wow, I only just realized how long it'd been since I last looked at this story. I'm halfway through a problem set at the moment… and I just don't want to work. Hahaha. So here is the product of my procrastination.

**Chapter 3: A Little Misunderstanding**

It was way past curfew when Rose eased open the hidden entrance to the Head Dormitories and crept down the silent hallway.

She was glad she'd gotten out without waking Albus—he was an extremely light sleeper, and she'd accidentally roused him on a few occasions when she was attempting to sneak out to see Scorpius. She'd always said she was thirsty, or that she was sleepwalking.

Tonight, her destination was the hospital wing.

She reached the silent ward without incident and slipped inside, pulling the door shut noiselessly. Then she crossed the room to Scorpius' cot and pulled aside the curtain that surrounded his bed. She took a seat at the edge and let the curtains fall back into place.

Scorpius' face was unmarred, and she remembered that he'd been hit in the back of the head. Was it really safe for him to be lying on his back, then? But if Madam Pomfrey hadn't made a fuss about it, then he was sure to be fine. She wondered if he'd regained consciousness yet—she'd heard that taking a Bludger to the head could knock someone out for up to, or maybe even more than, a week.

She stroked his cheek tenderly, surprised by the emotions welling in her chest. She wished he would wake up and smile at her. When had he come to mean so much to her?

Leaning down, she gently brushed her lips against his. Then, as she sat back up, his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," he said in a slightly cracked voice.

Rose immediately shushed him—they weren't the only ones in the hospital wing.

"Shouldn't you still be unconscious?" she whispered.

He grinned. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy. One measly Bludger can't knock me out for _that_ long."

"Arrogant boy."

She leaned down to kiss his lips again and felt a thrill course through her when his lips moved in response.

"Ugh, we only just met two nights ago, and I already need you again," she whispered against his lips.

"Rose, I always need you."

She smiled and pressed her lips to his again before straightening.

"We should go public," he said in a low voice.

She sighed. "We _can't_, Scorpius."

"I don't give a fuck what your father wants from you. I don't care what he thinks of my family. You and I—we're the ones in this relationship, and that's all that matters to me."

"What about _your_ parents, then? My dad said that your dad hated him, _and_ my mom. And Uncle Harry, for that matter."

Scorpius shook his head. "I don't care what they say. It's all secondary to you. As soon as you're ready, we'll go public. I hate all this sneaking around, pretending to dislike you. I hate the fact that you still look so _single_ when you walk down the halls. I hate that I can't tell guys to stop staring at you because you're _mine_."

She couldn't hold back a smile. "You're so damn possessive, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. I always feel particularly murderous when Moran touches you."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Sean's my friend. Just like Albus."

"I don't like it when he's around you all the time, either. He's _always_ fucking there."

"Scorpius, stop it."

He smiled. "All right, all right, I'll humor you."

"Good."

To reward him, she gave him another kiss. When she started to pull back, he leaned upward slightly, keeping their lips connected, and she held back a moan. _Merlin_, she really wanted him right then and there.

"I can't wait until you're better," she said in a tortured whisper.

"Well… aside from a blinding headache, I'm perfectly fine," he said.

She frowned and rubbed at his temples gently. "Didn't Madam Pomfrey do anything about that for you?"

"I'm sure she already did," Scorpius said. "She's probably the reason why I'm conscious already."

Rose nodded. "True."

They watched each other in comfortable silence, and Rose smiled. She'd loved the sex—_still_ loved the sex, of course—but these quiet, shared moments were becoming more and more valuable to her. And the mere fact that he would bring up going public… it showed just how serious he felt about her, didn't it?

Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because a small smile stretched his lips, and she finally turned her eyes away from him.

"They're for real," he said softly.

"What are?"

"My emotions. I'm not faking them."

"I know."

"No, you don't know. You doubt me every time I say the words, and it really hurts my feelings," he said.

Well, this was a first. It wasn't often that he spoke about his feelings.

"Are you sure you're all the way there, Scorpius?" she asked.

He nodded. "Of course I am."

"Because I think you just had a very Hufflepuff moment."

"Should I be surlier, then? Or cheekier?"

"I think you're just cheeky enough," Rose replied, smiling.

After a brief pause, Scorpius said, "You're avoiding it, aren't you?"

"Avoiding what?"

"Talking about us."

She cast her eyes downward. "I don't know, Scorpius. I mean… I care a lot about you. But I can't imagine the look on my dad's face when he finds out. I can't even… I mean, what would Nadine think? And Albus? I just—"

"Speaking of Albus, _he's_ the reason why I'm in here," Scorpius said, anger taking over his features.

"You figured it out, did you?" asked Rose.

"It wasn't hard to guess," he replied nonchalantly. "I guess I could have moved away, and he might not have noticed. But you were so goddamn _obvious_ about it, Rose."

She flushed. "That's your fault."

"_My_ fault?"

"For moving so ridiculously fluidly when you're in the air," Rose explained. "It was like observing a piece of art. I couldn't stop looking."

He grinned. "I think you just paid me a compliment."

She sighed exaggeratedly. "Oh, dear. Now your ego's going to be even bigger than it was before."

Then they heard a light cough, and Rose froze, eyes wide. Scorpius was looking at the curtains curiously, and Rose remembered that Dane was still in the hospital wing.

Damn it. He hadn't heard anything, had he?

But it was silent again, and she and Scorpius exchanged glances.

Just as Rose opened her mouth to speak, they heard Dane's voice.

"Is someone there?"

"Fuck," Rose mouthed silently at Scorpius.

"Just go," Scorpius mouthed, pointing in the direction of Dane's cot.

Rose shook her head furiously. Merlin, that would lead to some awful misunderstandings. Dane would probably start to think that she _fancied_ him or something. No, no, no, _no_.

They heard Dane yawn faintly, and Rose held back a sigh. How was she going to get out _now?_ She couldn't remember whether or not the curtains had been drawn around Dane's hospital bed.

Complete silence fell over the room. Rose was afraid of even _breathing_ too loudly.

Several minutes later, she slowly stood up, praying that Scorpius' cot wouldn't creak. Then she smiled at him, and he nodded toward the exit. She was Head Girl, so the consequences of being caught after hours wouldn't be too severe, but she'd probably still have a stern talking-to.

Rose squatted down to give Scorpius a good night kiss before waving good-bye and parting the curtains around his cot.

Damn, Dane's curtains had been left open. She quickly moved toward the exit and froze when she heard his familiar voice.

"Rose?"

Fuck.

She slowly turned around. "Hi, Dane," she said in a hushed voice.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a low tone.

Rose moved toward his cot, glancing nervously at the curtains that were drawn around Scorpius' cot. Had Dane heard anything they'd said? Had he seen her coming out? She found that her palms were damp with cold sweat.

"I…" she hesitated.

Should she lie? How could she find out how much he'd heard?

He looked at her, perplexed. "How late is it? It's so dark out."

"It's past three," she said softly.

His eyes widened, and he repeated his previous query. "What are you doing here?"

Rose fought the urge to let out a gigantic sigh of relief. Dane had never been good at lying, and all of his actions were sincere. By now, he would have asked her about her presence at Scorpius' bedside, had he seen her emerging from it.

But now she had a different problem. She really, _really_ didn't want to give off the impression that she had any inkling of feelings toward him. How the hell else would she explain away a three-in-the-morning visit, though? Especially since she'd only just seen him that afternoon.

"Rose?" he prodded, brows knitted together in concern.

"I came to see you," she said.

She wanted to swallow the lie as soon as she'd said it—the words had a visible impact on him, and he blinked a few times, hard.

"You—_what?_"

"Yeah, I just… I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to take a walk, so I just got out of bed and wandered through the halls for a while. I figured that since you were in the hospital wing… but then I realized that you'd be asleep, so I thought I should leave, but you—"

"Slow down, Rose."

She took a deep breath. The excuses had started flowing out of her mouth, unbidden, and now it sounded like she was over-justifying her presence, as though she had something to hide. Well, she _did_ have something to hide. But it just… wasn't what Dane probably thought it was.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Rose replied. "Why are you asking that?"

"You seem really… nervous. And edgy."

She slapped a smile onto her face. "I'm fine," she repeated.

"I don't know if I believe that," said Dane, frowning. "You wouldn't come and visit me, just because."

"I already said it was because I couldn't sleep," Rose said, trying her best not to sound defensive.

His frown only deepened, and Rose mentally ran through a list of her favorite swear words. She bit back the urge to continue explaining—at this point, she was sure that it would only make things worse…

"Did erm… did Albus say anything to you?"

Rose hid her surprise. "What do you mean?"

"When the two of you left together, today. Did he say something to upset you? Is that why you couldn't sleep?"

Merlin, this was too good to be true. She almost couldn't believe it. Dane didn't think she had feelings for him. Oh, thank goodness.

"No, I just—"

"If you need to talk to someone, I'm right here."

Rose smiled. "I'm fine, Dane, really. But thanks."

"You know, while I've got you here, I actually do have a question for you."

"Okay."

"When you, Albus, and Sean graduate, who do you think Professor Longbottom is going to pick to be the new team captain for our Quidditch team?"

"Well… you. Why would you think it wouldn't be you?"

"Adam's a sixth year, too."

"Yes, but you're clearly better with strategy."

"Professor Longbottom doesn't know that."

"Well, I'm sure that Albus will give Professor Longbottom a recommendation of who should be the next captain, and I'm pretty sure that he'll pick you over Adam. Albus knows what's going on."

"I guess."

"You should be more confident in yourself," said Rose. "You know you're talented, don't you?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes I think even Carrie's a better Chaser than I am."

She frowned. Why was he telling her this? He usually looked really sure of himself, and he even put on an arrogant attitude around people.

Maybe it was because it was just so late at night. Rose knew that her insecurities usually came out to play when she was lying in the dark, trying to fall asleep.

"Dane, you know that's not true."

He only shrugged in response, and Rose sighed.

"Well, I'm actually starting to feel tired now, so I think I'm going to go back and head to bed. But you should stop doubting yourself like that. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded, and she started to get up.

"Wait—just one second," he said.

She sat back down at the edge of his bed and looked at him, wondering what else he had to say.

He reached the arm that wasn't broken toward her and picked up her hand. Rose tensed up. Had he misunderstood, after all?

He gave her arm a gentle tug, and her eyes shifted from their hands to his face. Dane was actually rather handsome, and the glow from the moonlight that filtered in through the windows made his eyes sparkle beautifully. And he had a wonderful personality.

He'd be a great boyfriend, Rose realized.

But she knew she didn't feel anything for him. In the future, she wouldn't either. And as much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, it was only for one reason: he wasn't Scorpius.

"You're beautiful, Rose," Dane said.

She sucked in a deep breath. "Um… Dane, I—"

"It's okay. I get it."

Get what? Oh, this was going to be bad, wasn't it?

"What do you think you get?" Rose asked apprehensively.

"Well, everyone knows your dad doesn't want you to date anyone until after you've graduated from Hogwarts. So—"

"Dane, no—you've misunderstood."

"Have I?"

"Yes. I just… I honestly only came here because I couldn't sleep. I don't… I don't have a crush on you or anything."

Fuck. Her voice had shaken at the very end of that last sentence, dooming her. If she hadn't been in her own head and she'd heard that last sentence, she never would have believed it to be true.

Dane was only smiling, which meant that he hadn't missed the quiver in her tone.

Of all times for her voice to be shaky! Once again, she started listing swear words in her head.

"Dane, I'm being completely serious. I…" she stopped, frustrated with herself.

She never should have said that she was there to see him. But there really wasn't another explanation she could have gone with.

He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, Rose. It's only the two of us here. I won't say a word about it."

She started to pull her hand back, but his grip tightened.

"I'm leaving," she said.

He quickly pulled her hand close to his face and lifted his head slightly to kiss the backs of her knuckles. She jerked her hand back.

"Dane, don't." She sighed. "I know what this looks like, but it's really not that way. I promise you."

He looked at her with one brow arched. "If you say so."

She could tell he didn't believe her, but she wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible. Maybe in the morning, she could convince him that it had all been a very strange dream… that might work.

"Good night, Dane," she said, getting to her feet.

"Good night."

She hurried out of the room without looking back and shut the door behind her.

What rotten luck.

* * *

He trailed kisses across her cheek slowly, taking his time as he waited for her to wake up. He brought his lips close to her ear.

"You're mine," he whispered. "My Rose."

She stroked his back gently. "You're awake already?" she murmured sleepily.

"Of course."

He tightened his arms around her, and she sighed happily, scooting downward slightly to burrow into his chest. She clearly wanted to keep sleeping, but they'd already fucked, cuddled, fucked, slept, fucked, and cuddled some more, and now he was ready to talk.

"We never had a chance to talk about that conversation between you and Jensen that night," he said.

He'd gotten out of the hospital wing two nights ago, but she hadn't been able to meet him the first night—Head Girl duties. He hated that she had chosen to let Jensen continue to think that she might have feelings for him. She was _his_, goddamn it!

She mumbled something unintelligible into his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"What did you say, Rose?" he asked.

"I wanna sleeeeeep," she grumbled, drawing out the "e".

"Rose, we need to talk. Wake up, hon."

She made an adorable growling noise, and then he gasped as a set of sharp teeth bit down hard on his left pec.

"Fuck, that hurt," he told her.

"That's what you get for waking me up," she said, finally backing up a bit so that he could see her face.

She looked slightly disgruntled, and he couldn't help smiling as he lifted a hand to soothe the bite on his chest. She yawned widely and arched her back, stretching herself out.

"What did you say you wanted to talk about?" she asked.

"Dane Jensen."

She sighed heavily. "Oh Scorpius, can we not? We just had an amazing night. I don't want to ruin it with a fight so soon after."

"How do you know we're going to fight?"

"Because you have issues with sharing."

"_Hey_. I know I'm possessive, but I think most people have issues with _sharing_. Relationships are exclusive. I'm not going to—"

"I never said I was getting into a relationship with Dane, Scorpius. I just—"

"But you let him think there was a possibility."

It was this fact that irked him the most.

"Does it even _matter?_" Rose said, rolling her eyes. "What he thinks really doesn't matter as long as I don't ever accept him. I mean, I told him it was a misunderstanding already. If he goes on believing that I have a crush on him, so be it."

"I don't like the thought that anyone else—"

"It's not even _true_. He only _thinks_ that I like him. I don't understand—"

"I know it's not true, but he'll—"

"Dane isn't even interested in me anyway," she said. "I'm pretty sure he fancies that sixth year Ravenclaw—I forgot her name. Lauren something."

"I don't care about some sixth year Ravenclaw, Rose. I care about you. And trust me, he's not uninterested in you. How can _anyone_ not be interested in you? You're smart, beautiful, funny, and a damn good flier."

She shook her head. "We're just friends."

"I didn't even see his face, and I know he was considering it that night, Rose. He was thinking about what it'd be like to date you."

She shook her head more fervently this time. "No, he wasn't," she denied.

"Oh, really? Did you not hear him say 'You're beautiful, Rose'?"

Rose didn't reply.

"I don't want anything to come between us," he said.

"The only thing that's coming between us right now is _you_, Scorpius. You and your insecurity. I really, really like you, and—"

"Is that so?" he interrupted bitterly. "Should I believe that? Because you never believe me when I try to tell you how I feel about you. And I'm starting to think that it's because you don't feel the same way, and you're projecting it onto me."

A look of hurt crossed her features. "I _do_ like you," she said.

"Mhmm, sure. Of course you do."

"Scorpius, don't do this."

"Don't do what?"

She groaned. "I _hate_ it when you get all sarcastic like this! You have some serious issues with trust, Scorpius. If you could just trust me, you wouldn't have to be so fucking paranoid all the time!"

"Paranoid? How is this paranoid?"

"How is it _not_ paranoid? You're afraid that you'll lose me to Dane, for some stupid reason that I can't even _begin_ to fathom, and I—"

"I'm not worried about _losing_ you," Scorpius argued. "I just hate it when people think that they have a shot with you when they don't."

"It doesn't _matter_ what other people think!"

"It matters to me, okay?"

"No, it's not okay!"

Scorpius sighed heavily. "Forget it. I should go."

She didn't even make an effort to hide her disappointment. "If you cared about me so much, then it wouldn't matter to you what other people thought. The only thoughts you should care about are mine and yours."

"I'm only bothered by what other people might think _because_ I care about you, Rose," he said, rolling away from her and sitting up. "Do you think I'd give a fuck what people thought about you if I didn't care?"

"Fine. Then you only care about me on a most basic level. You just want to own me. Is that it? You can't stand someone else trying to get me because then I wouldn't be _yours_ anymore."

He pulled on his shorts and pants and looked around for his shirt. "I never give you anyone to worry about," he said. "You don't know what it feels like."

"What do you mean?"

"You never have to worry about me. I'm yours, and I've made it perfectly clear. I've drawn a line, and no one can cross it but you," he explained. "But you… you're still so _open_ to everyone. It looks like _anyone_ could come and sweep you off your feet."

She glared at him. "Just because I have _friends_—"

"Oh, and am I to understand that I _don't_ have friends?"

"Fine. What about Illianne Nott, then? She clearly thinks she still has a chance to be with you."

He located his shirt on the ground just past her wardrobe and walked over to pick it up. "Well, I don't encourage it, do I? I _know_ you overheard the argument we had before the match. Don't tell me I didn't make it absolutely clear to her what my boundaries were."

"Well I—I—" she spluttered for a moment before saying, "I don't _encourage_ it, either!"

"You haven't done much to make them think you aren't interested, though."

"I shouldn't have to go out of my way to—"

He spun around to face her, holding the shirt in his left hand. "I'm talking about Jensen."

"I told him—"

"After that night? Did you talk to him about it at all after that night?"

Rose only glared at him.

"So you haven't said a thing," he said.

She shook her head. "It would look like I was trying to over-justify it, Scorpius."

"You can't say that you told him you were uninterested, then. I heard you that night. If I hadn't known any better, even I would have thought that you'd snuck in to watch him sleep or something."

Her cheeks flamed. "You, of all people, should know that that wasn't the case."

"That's why I said 'if I hadn't known any better.' Pay attention when I'm talking."

"Fuck you."

He glared at her and finally started putting his shirt back on. "You haven't ever had to deal with this sort of jealousy before," he said. "You don't know how I feel when I see them looking at you, thinking about their chances."

"No matter how much they look at me, their chances will always be zero," she said.

"I don't _care_ what the actual chance is, Rose. You're missing the point. It's the way they look at you and the way you smile back. The way you… just… you make it look like they _do_ have a chance."

She rolled her eyes. "For the hundredth time, it doesn't matter!"

"Forget it. You clearly don't understand."

How _could_ she understand? He'd never given her reason to be jealous. He hadn't looked at another girl—_really_ looked—since fifth year, before he and Rose had started their secret relationship. He'd immediately rebuffed any advances made towards him starting sixth year, and by now, most girls acknowledged that he was officially off the market.

Illianne was an exception, but she was a special case. And he'd told her more than once that he only cared for her as a friend.

He considered spending a bit more time with some other girl, _any_ other girl, just to give Rose a taste of her own medicine. He hated watching her smile so easily around the guys on her Quidditch team, the ones in class, any of them.

He'd never had trouble attracting attention from the girls who caught his eye, and it'd be too easy to snag any girl to use for some payback. But it wouldn't be right to just use a girl like that.

"I understand perfectly well," she said.

"No, you don't," he replied as he finished buttoning up his shirt. "Bye, Rose."

"No, you stay right there," she said, getting to her feet.

He paused on his way to the door and turned back. "What do you want?"

"I just… I want to be _past_ all this, Scorpius. I want us to… to enjoy our time together, because we hardly ever have time to be together."

She took a few steps toward him, but he made no motion to meet her halfway.

"I don't want to fight about this," she said as she reached him. She stretched out a hand and gently touched his arm. "Scorpius?"

He ran a hand through his hair agitatedly and looked at her. A small, hopeful smile was on her face, and he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. Her eyes held the slightest hint of an apology, one that she was probably too proud to give aloud. He'd have to accept that as enough, wouldn't he?

"You just can't let me stay angry with you, can you?" he said, fighting a smile.

Her smile widened, and she stepped closer, leaning up to kiss him. His eyes fluttered shut as her lips pressed against his.

"You're the best," she murmured against his lips before backing down to her normal height.

"I still want you to talk to Dane, though," he said.

"Fine, fine. I'll talk to him, if it'll make you feel better," she relented.

"It will."

"Mm, okay," she said, kissing him again. "How are you going to reward me when I do?"

He growled low in his throat and gave her a heated gaze. "You'd better put some clothes on, Rose. I should be going, but I can't when you're…"

She rubbed against him, and through his shirt, he could feel her nipples hardening. He groaned desperately and clutched her to him, attacking her mouth, devouring her.

Her hands started unbuttoning shirt, and he managed to grab them, stopping her. He broke their kiss regretfully and opened his eyes to see that her dark brown eyes were blazing up at him.

"I have to go," he said in a strained voice.

"You can be late. It's just Quidditch practice," she said.

"You've already made me miss two practices this term, Rose. Slughorn's going to get fed up with me and demote me from team captain."

She smiled devilishly. "Don't tell me those two times weren't worth it."

He sighed. "What does tonight look like for you?"

"Mm, Nadine said she had some stuff to talk to me about. I'm staying the night at my old dorm room."

"Damn."

"All the more reason to make the most of our time right now, right?"

He shook his head. "I really have to go," he said. "Besides, won't Potter be getting up soon?"

Rose shrugged. "If he gets up, then you won't be able to leave, and we'll get some more time together, won't we?"

Scorpius backed away from her and turned toward the exit. "We'll see each other again soon, all right?"

"Okay, okay," Rose said, giving in. She took a few quick steps and grabbed his hand, stopping him.

He turned around and received a soft kiss on the lips.

"Until next time," she said with a smile.

He nodded. "Bye, love."


	4. Turbulence

**Author's Note:** So I was originally gonna post another chapter of _Turncoat_ today, but then I decided that I wanted to change a few things here and there, and I ended up getting fed up with it. So I'm posting something that's lighter and is less important to me. Not to say that I don't like this story… :P

**Chapter 4: Turbulence**

"Hugo!"

Hugo turned around and saw Carrie pushing through the crowd to get to him. He held out a hand in her direction, and when she got close enough, she grabbed onto his hand, and he pulled her over to his side.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking up.

Hugo also looked up, fixing his eyes on the ugly figure that marred the bright afternoon sky. It was a colossal black skull with a serpent coming out of its mouth—the Dark Mark, a shape that his parents had fought so hard against.

"It's just been floating over the castle. I heard Professor Flitwick saying that it could just be a prank, and Professor McGonagall and Professor Longbottom are _really_ mad," he said.

Carrie leaned closer to him, pressing into his side. "Is it… is it okay if I'm a little scared?" she asked.

He glanced down at her and grinned. "Don't worry, Carrie. Nothing can get to you—Hogwarts is safe. And besides, you're right next to me. I'll take care of you."

She rolled her eyes. "You're only two years above me in school. And besides, if I needed anyone to protect me, I'd just ask Sean or Albus. Or Rose."

Hugo laughed. "Well, you're just going to have to settle for the next best thing, because Sean and Rose aren't around right now, and Albus is just too busy."

Speaking of which, where _was_ his sister? Albus had already come out of the castle and was speaking to the other professors. Some of the prefects had come out and were now ushering students back inside, and Carrie pulled on Hugo's arm.

"We should go," she said. "Nadine's calling us."

Hugo followed Carrie's line of sight and saw the Gryffindor prefect gesturing for the students to go into the castle.

"All right, fine," he said. "I should figure out where Rose is, anyway."

"She said she was heading toward the library, actually," Carrie informed him. "I saw her a few minutes before I came outside."

"She must not have heard about the Dark Mark yet, then," Hugo said.

"I'm sure _someone's_ told her by now. You know how word spreads in the castle."

Hugo nodded. "Either way, I'm gonna go find her. Wanna come?"

Carrie shook her head. "I'm going to find Sharon and Nina. I didn't see them outside."

"See you later, then," Hugo said as they entered the castle with the other students.

He pushed his way toward the staircase and separated from most of the other students—most of them were heading back to their common rooms.

Why would Rose be going to the library _now_, of all times? Maybe she just wanted to read. According to their father, it was something Rose had inherited from their mother.

Hugo entered the library and walked quietly along one of the center aisles, looking for any sign of Rose. He caught sight of her bright red hair—the same hue as his own—rounding a corner. He almost called out before remembering that he was in the library. Madam Pince would probably have his head for making a racket in _her_ library.

He moved swiftly down the aisle and turned the corner, only to stop short. His sister had stopped walking a few feet away from him, and from her stance, she'd seen something she didn't like—he could tell that she was standing very stiffly.

He was about to reach out to touch her shoulder when she abruptly turned to her right and sprinted down the adjacent aisle without even noticing Hugo's presence.

Hugo began to call out her name, but she had already disappeared around another corner. He looked straight ahead into the Restricted Section and saw a couple, snogging. The guy had his back to Hugo, and his large frame mostly obscured his partner from view.

Oh, so Rose had a crush. A grin started forming on Hugo's lips.

But then one detail registered in his head and he froze, all amusement immediately draining away.

White-blond hair.

Bloody… no fucking way.

Hugo's head whipped to the side, toward the direction in which his sister had disappeared.

There was _no way_ his sister would have a crush on Scorpius Malfoy.

No way in hell.

* * *

She ran upstairs, frantically trying to repress the image of what she'd just seen.

No, no, no. It wasn't happening.

He'd _promised_ that he would never…

How long had this been going on? Had he been putting on an act for the whole time that they'd been together?

No… it was impossible.

Rose raced into the common room of the Head Dormitories and was thankful that Albus was nowhere to be seen. Tears began to stream down her face as she hurried up the small flight of stairs that led to her door and flew into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

She shouldn't be so pathetic. She should be furious with him. She wasn't supposed to be _that_ attached to him, was she? All she felt was a giant ache in her chest.

She wished that this was only a nightmare, wished that she would wake up with his arms around her, the sound of his deep, even breathing in her ears. She collapsed onto her bed and sobbed into the pillow, furious with him for his betrayal and herself for her weakness.

Then she thought back to all the times that her father had warned her about the Malfoy family. Had he really been right all along? She had been so sure of herself, so sure of Scorpius, so convinced that he would never hurt her.

When her tears dried, she cleaned herself up and left her bedroom—it had to be close to dinnertime, because she was starving. She hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast.

She pulled the door open just in time to see Albus standing outside, looking surprised.

"Rose," he said.

"Albus."

"Where—have you been _here_ all day?" he asked.

"Yes."

Albus frowned. "I can't believe no one found you, then. Did you hear? The Dark Mark was floating above the castle today. They only just removed it about half an hour ago."

Rose's eyes widened. "The Dark Mark? Above the castle?"

"Wow, you really haven't heard a thing. Is something wrong?"

"No. I was um, I was just doing some reading," she lied.

Albus shook his head. "You're lying to me, Rose. Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Really."

"No, you're not fine. Tell me what's bothering you."

"Oi, Weasley!"

Albus turned to look at the newcomer, and Rose poked her head out. Apollo Zabini was walking down the hall toward them.

"Ah, you're here. I have an issue for you to deal with," Zabini said.

"What can you have to say to Rose?" Albus asked, stepping defensively in front of her.

Zabini rolled his eyes. "Can you not be so melodramatic, Potter? A girl fainted in the restroom. They don't want me to go inside. I decided to get the Head Girl. Is that so horrible?"

"I'll go," Rose said.

Albus moved out of the way. "This conversation isn't over yet, Rose," he said.

"Fine. I'll talk to you when I get back."

Zabini had already started down the hall in the opposite direction, and Rose hurried to catch up with him. He led her down a few flights of stairs, and Rose grabbed his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The dungeons. The girl was in the Slytherin bathrooms."

Rose eyed him suspiciously. "Why couldn't you just ask Nott to take care of it, then? She's a prefect, isn't she?"

Zabini sighed and turned to snatch her hand. She tried to pull it back, but his grip only tightened. He moved into the Potions classroom, taking her with him.

A small Slytherin boy squeaked in surprise as he saw them entering the room.

"Clear out, kid. We need the room," Zabini said.

"Zabini, don't—" Rose began, but the boy had already skirted the pair of them and exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

"We need to talk," said Zabini.

"If this is about Scorpius, tell him that if he wants to talk to me, he should grow some balls and do it himself."

"He didn't ask me to come. I'm doing this against his will."

"Fine. What do you want to tell me? You have two minutes."

"People aren't stupid," Zabini said. "Potter wasn't the only one who noticed that you'd just happened to be looking in Scorpius' direction at the match. Or have you not heard the whispers spreading through the castle?"

"That's all they are. Rumors. It doesn't matter what people think."

"Then why is it still a secret?"

"Because as long as no one knows it for sure, my father won't have to hear about it."

"Just because it's a rumor doesn't mean no one will believe that it's the truth. There will be some people who think that it's true, and any one of them could start a chain that eventually leads to your father."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that Scorpius wants to squash any hint of those rumors. The best way for him to do that would be to start a conflicting rumor. And who is better at spreading rumors than Illianne?"

"That's no excuse. He told me that he would never—"

"He's doing this for the two of you."

"That's bullshit," said Rose.

"Weasley, I don't like you. But I—"

"As if _I_ like _you_, you—"

"That isn't the point. I don't like you, but I'm still standing here, talking to you, because of Scorpius. I've never seen him so emotionally invested in a person before. He would never, _ever_ pretend to like Illianne unless he thought he had to."

"I don't _care_—"

"He wouldn't do that for anyone else, Weasley."

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel good? I'm the _only_ person who can get him to kiss Illianne. How _fantastic_," Rose said sarcastically.

"Do you think he _wants_ to be with her?"

"Zabini, this really isn't any of your business. Just leave me alone."

"You act as though I want to talk to you. I'm only doing this for Scorpius' sake."

"Then forget about it, okay? You're not doing him any good by pissing me off."

"And why exactly are you getting so pissed off by my explanation? You're the one who refuses to go public with the relationship. You're the reason why he thinks he has to kill the rumors before they can reach your father."

"Fuck off."

Zabini's jaw clenched, and Rose had the feeling that he really wanted to punch her. She took a step closer, glaring at him, daring him to make a move.

"I won't hit you," he said, as though he'd read her mind. "But you are one ungrateful bitch."

She fought the urge to let her jaw drop. "Un_grateful?_ Scorpius goes off kissing some other girl, and because I'm angry with him, I'm suddenly _ungrateful?_ In what world is a girl supposed to be _grateful_ that her boyfriend is cheating on her?"

"I've already said this once, and now, I'll say it again. I've never seen Scorpius so emotionally attached to a girl before. If you can't see that, then you're blind, and he deserves better."

"Who are you to say whether or not he deserves better than me?"

"I'm his best mate. And if I don't think you two should be together, which is closer and closer to becoming the truth, I'm going to try to keep him away from you."

"Go ahead, then," said Rose, continuing to glare at him. "You can't rule our lives, Zabini. Just because Scorpius is your best friend doesn't mean he has to do everything you say. And besides, who said I'd still want him around, anyway?"

Zabini threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Look, Weasley. I'm going to finish up with this, and then we can split up and never have to speak to each other again."

"Perfect."

"You stared at Scorpius in the last match. It was obvious. Not everyone noticed, but I'm fairly certain that some people did, because you almost missed that save. People were talking about it. Don't tell me that you didn't hear those rumors circulating."

Rose rolled her eyes. She still couldn't really understand why it had taken so long for people to start talking about the match—it had happened almost two weeks ago.

Then again, for a long time, people had been more worried about Scorpius' recovery and whether or not the Slytherin team would be prepared to play against Hufflepuff if he wouldn't be able to fly anytime soon. Now that Scorpius was out of the hospital wing, people started talking about the next-most-interesting topic, which unfortunately fell to Rose's close catch.

"Scorpius heard the rumors when he got out of the hospital wing, and he talked to me about it. I told him that if he wanted to stop them, he should probably do something about it. But I also said that it'd be best for him to talk to you about it first. Clearly, he didn't consult you, and that was a mistake. Because now, you're being a stubborn bitch about this, and—"

"Fantastic, because calling me names is going to get me on your side."

Zabini let out a long sigh. "Forget it. I've said what I had to say. I'm not obligated to be here anymore."

He exited the room without another word, and Rose fought the urge to race after him, just to throw a few punches in his direction.

Nothing could make cheating right. Nothing.

If Scorpius really did have the rumors in mind, he would have said something.

Then she remembered something he'd said the other day, something about how she was too open with people and how he always drew a line.

So much for Rose being the only one able to cross it. Nott seemed to be doing just _fine_.

Rose bit her lip and stormed out of the classroom. The small Slytherin boy was standing just outside when she left, and he squeaked in surprise when she flung the door open.

"Sorry," she said.

He went back into the room without responding, and Rose started going back up the hall toward her room. She didn't want to run into anyone.

But then she remembered that Albus would be there, waiting for her to return.

_The library it is, then_, she thought.

Her stomach grumbled, and she considered going down to the Great Hall to get some dinner. But she didn't want to talk to anyone, didn't want to have to put on a happy face.

She reached the library quickly, and sure enough, it seemed completely empty. She chose her favorite corner and sat down with a large book, hoping to distract herself.

But she couldn't get the images of him and _her_ out of her head.

It was as though they were still standing right in front of her. She saw his arms holding her firmly, heard his quiet groan as she pressed up against him.

Rose shook her head furiously and focused on the small print.

The words blurred together, and when she blinked, a teardrop fell onto the paper.

"I knew you'd be here."

No, no, no. She didn't want to hear his voice right now. He'd sweet-talk her out of being angry with him. He'd coax her into his arms, carry her to his bed, and make her forget how angry she was. And she couldn't let that happen. Not after what he'd done.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't react.

She heard him take a few steps toward her, but still she remained silent. Then his hand rested on her shoulder gently.

"No, Scorpius," she said in a voice that was weaker than she'd intended it to be. "I don't care if what Zabini said was true. You had no right to do that to me."

"You weren't supposed to see it," he said in a low voice. "I never wanted you to suffer."

She shrugged her shoulder, and he removed his hand.

"I'm not surprised that you wouldn't want to get caught," she said.

"Will you at least let me explain myself?"

"Just go away," she said.

"This isn't over, Rose," he said. "I'll give you some time to calm down, but we aren't over yet."

She nodded. If they were going to break up, she would dump him properly.

Then his footsteps slowly moved in the other direction, and she fought the urge to break down. How could he treat it all so… so clinically? It seemed as though he didn't have any emotions, as though he didn't really _care_ one way or another.

She closed the book and pushed it away from her. Reading wouldn't take her mind off him, off this ache in her chest.

She jumped to her feet and bolted out of the library.

Forget about calming down. She wanted to thrash him right now. She wanted to wring his neck.

She caught up with him at the bottom of a flight of stairs and grabbed onto his arm, spinning him around.

"Rose?" he said, surprised.

She immediately swung an arm up in an attempt to slap him, but his reflexes were too quick, and his arm came up, snatching her wrist. Before she had a chance to react, his other hand had captured hers, and she was left glaring up at him, slightly breathless.

"I guess you didn't want to calm down," he said.

He almost looked _amused_. How dare he…

"Scorpius, I—you—we—" she stopped herself. Why the hell hadn't she come up with anything to say to him on the way here? All she'd wanted to do was strike him. And he'd foiled that plan.

"Breathe," he said. "Calm down."

"No, Scorpius, I don't _want_ to calm down," Rose said. "I just… you… how _could_ you?"

He sighed heavily. "Do you want me to explain, now?"

She shook her head. No, no, no. She didn't want to hear the rationale behind his actions. She didn't want to hear the cold, hard logic that had prompted him to make that decision. She didn't want it to be _her_ fault that he'd gone and kissed some other girl.

"Then what do you want from me?"

His voice sounded so much gentler than usual, and her gaze shifted up to look at his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat again. Somehow, this pair of eyes always took her breath away.

He leaned forward slightly, and she recognized the intention in his eyes—he wanted to kiss her.

She turned her head to the side, and he sighed again.

The sound seemed to tear at her heart.

"You're a horrible person," she said suddenly.

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have said—"

"How dare you make me feel guilty?" she continued her train of thought, ignoring him. "I was the one who had to see you kissing someone else, yet you're here, still managing to make _me_ feel guilty for blaming it on you. You're a horrible person, Scorpius."

He looked at her, perplexed.

"It isn't fair. All you have to do is sigh, and I can't… I can't even be angry with you anymore."

Frustrated tears started leaking from her eyes as she finished speaking. She hastily tried to lift her hands to wipe them away, but he wouldn't let go of her arms.

"Scorpius, let me go," she said.

His expression was pained, and for some reason, seeing it only doubled the ache in her chest.

Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek, kissing down the trail of her tears until he reached the corner of her mouth. Unable to resist, Rose turned her head slightly and ran her tongue over his lips, tasting her salty tears on them.

His grip on her arms slowly loosened, and she slid her hands up his arms to his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

A voice in her head told her that this was exactly what she _hadn't_ wanted to happen. She didn't want to forgive him so easily, to let him off the hook just because he was an amazing kisser, and because kissing him would inevitably lead to mind-blowing sex. She was so pathetic—she'd submitted to his _sigh_. She'd given up her right to be furious with him just because he'd sounded so forlorn.

But to be completely honest, deep down inside, she did believe what Zabini had told her. And she knew from the look in his eyes, from his willingness to wait, that Scorpius knew he was in the wrong this time, that he had made a mistake in not telling her what he'd planned to do.

He pulled away from her lips slowly, and her eyes fluttered open.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured.

Suddenly, Rose became aware that they were in the middle of a hallway on the main route to the dungeons. She tried to back away from him, but his arms held her tightly to him—when had they wrapped around her waist?

"Scorpius—someone could see—"

He released her reluctantly, and she realized that it was moments like this that had made Scorpius try to fix the rumors going around. Whenever she fretted about being seen in public, she was indirectly reminding him that they weren't officially together, that no one should ever suspect them as a couple.

"I should have said something," he said, shaking his head.

"How did you know that Zabini would come and talk to me?"

He frowned. "You told me yourself that he spoke to you."

Rose bit her lip—she didn't even remember mentioning Zabini to Scorpius. But it didn't really matter.

"So everything he said… it was all true," she said.

He nodded. "I would never betray you, Rose," he vowed. "Not for her, not for _anyone_."

His eyes burned into hers as he finished his declaration, and she found herself unable to look away. She couldn't doubt the passionate gleam in his eyes. For the first time, she felt confident in his feelings for her. This… this couldn't be faked.

She glanced quickly over her shoulder before stepping forward and pulling him into another quick kiss.

But there was no such thing as a _quick_ kiss, whenever it came to Scorpius. When she tried to back away, he followed, turning her slightly and pressing her into the wall of the hallway. She grunted when her back hit the stone and moaned when his tongue slipped into her mouth.

Her arms locked into place around his neck, and when he lifted her to get a better angle at her mouth, she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He moaned and thrust his hips, and she could feel the large bulge in his pants pressing against her.

Then there was a loud gasp, and Rose twisted her head to the side to see a second year Hufflepuff—Sara MacLarin, was it?—staring at them.

"If you say a word about this, I'll rip your tongue out," Scorpius threatened.

"Scorpius!" Rose exclaimed, appalled. She pushed at his arms, and he gently—and _very_ reluctantly—put her down.

MacLarin turned tail and scurried down the hall, away from them.

"I was joking," he said with a shrug.

Rose sighed as she turned back to look at him. "Don't sound so serious when you're joking, then."

"Well, I did have to scare her into not talking about this. Or would you rather have had me wipe her memory?"

"You could have just asked nicely."

"I've already had a Hufflepuff moment this year. Not going for two," Scorpius said, smirking.

"I'm the only one here. You wouldn't have to worry about your reputation."

"I need to uphold my reputation in front of everyone—that includes you."

Rose smiled up at him. "Are you worried that I won't think you're cold and unfeeling? Because you don't have to worry about that. I already know you're soft and squishy inside."

"Damn, looks like I've been found out," Scorpius said, a small grin playing about his lips.

"Dear oh dear, what _will_ you do?" Rose teased.

He suddenly snatched her hand and tugged her a few steps down the hall. With his free hand, he grabbed the doorknob to a broom closet and shoved her inside.

Before she could react, he spun them around and pressed her against the now-closed door of the cupboard. Then he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "What do you _think_ I'll do?"

She gave him a gentle push so that they were face to face and said, "Whatever you do, you'd better make it good."

In the dark, she could barely make out his grin.


	5. Storm's Coming

**Author's Note:** Yeah, sorry about the huge length of time since I last posted. I've seriously been losing steam with this story (sadness!), but now that I'm finished with _Turncoat_, I should hopefully have a bit more energy to spend on this story. Because I'm determined to never leave anything unfinished (not anything that I've started posting, that is… I have a ton of story-carcasses littering my fanfics folder that started but never caught on).

Anyway, hope you guys had a nice Christmas. Mine was rather tranquil. But I did get to go see _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_, which was a pretty good movie. I like David Fincher movies, generally.

**Chapter 5: Storm's Coming**

Scorpius stepped out of the closet and heard her footsteps behind him. He turned and headed down the hall toward the dungeons, but her hand wrapped around his, spinning him around.

Rose's lips landed on his, and he couldn't hold back a smile.

He gripped her shoulders and pushed her back slightly. "Haven't had enough yet?" he teased.

"It's never enough," she responded, shaking her head.

Footfalls from farther down the hall alerted them to someone's approach, and they each backed up a step.

"What do you think you're doing _here_, Weasley?" Scorpius said, smirking. "Isn't it a bit out of your comfort zone?"

Rose placed her hands on her hips and gave Scorpius a defiant stare. Too fucking hot.

"Au contraire, I'm perfectly comfortable here," she said easily.

"_Are_ you?" said Scorpius, raising an eyebrow and grinning at her with a lascivious glint in his eyes.

"Yes, I am. In fact, I think I'd be just as comfortable in the Slytherin Common Room," Rose said.

A mental image of Rose, sprawling naked over one of the green couches in the common room rose unbidden to the forefront of his mind, and he fought the urge to take her back into his arms.

"Good evening."

Scorpius turned his gaze away from Rose and saw Professor Lupin striding down the hall toward them.

"Professor Lupin," he said, nodding his head once. "What brings you down here?"

"I was going to visit old Slug," said Professor Lupin. Then he looked between the two of them. "No trouble, I expect?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rose smiled angelically. "Of _course_ not, Professor."

"Well, I'll be off," said Scorpius, starting toward the Slytherin Common Room.

"Good night, Malfoy," Professor Lupin said.

Scorpius nodded his head once without turning around and continued toward the dungeons. A few minutes later, he entered the Slytherin Common Room.

"Did you talk to her?" Apollo asked from his seat on the couch.

Scorpius cast a wary glance around the room to make sure it was empty before dropping into an armchair. He nodded, allowing himself a small grin.

"It went well, then, I suppose?"

"You could put it that way," Scorpius replied.

"I'm surprised," Apollo said, raising an eyebrow.

"I told you not to judge her so quickly. I'm not blind."

Apollo shrugged. "I suppose I see what you're attracted to in her."

"Do you?"

"She's not afraid to stand up to you. That's rare."

Scorpius didn't agree entirely, but he nodded anyway.

Rose wasn't just _rare_. She was one-of-a-kind.

* * *

"So, going to visit Professor Slughorn?" Rose said. "What about?"

"Do you really think you have the right to question me about anything, here?"

Rose smiled. "Of course, _Professor Lupin_. Sorry, I forgot."

He shook his head sternly. "Don't call me that when it's just the two of us. I swear, you make me feel so fucking _old_."

She laughed at this. "How've you been, Teddy?"

"Fantastic," he said, breaking into a grin. "I never knew how much I'd love teaching until I got started."

"My parents always said that your dad was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher they ever had in school," Rose said with a smile.

"Yeah. But I was never cut out for that material. And besides, Finnigan seems to be doing a great job of it."

"Not on a first-name basis with him yet, are you?" Rose asked.

"It's strange, that's all. I mean, he's friends with your parents. And my godfather. I always looked at him sort of… like someone in my father's generation."

"Yes, I suppose you _are_ caught between generations, aren't you?"

Teddy shrugged. Then he glanced down the hallway and said, "I get this feeling that you've been interested in someone lately."

"Who?" Rose asked innocently, pretending she had no idea what he was talking about.

"It's just a silly thought," said Teddy, shaking his head dismissively. "I might have heard some rumors going around about you and Malfoy…"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You know people love to talk," she said. "I've heard the rumors too. Everyone says I was staring at him during the match. Honestly, I don't remember ever staring at _that_ arrogant git with a brain the size of a chickpea."

Teddy laughed. "Well, I certainly didn't see it with my own eyes," he admitted. "But it's still nice to hear it contradicted in person."

There was a brief pause, and Rose felt a stab of guilt—she was now actively lying to both Albus _and_ Teddy. Who would be next, Janine?

Then Rose asked, "Didn't you have to see Slughorn—"

"_Professor_ Slughorn, Rose," Teddy teased.

"Right, _Professor_ Slughorn," she corrected herself, grinning at her friend.

"Yes, you're right," Teddy said. "It's actually rather important. It was nice talking to you, Rose."

"Very," Rose replied.

Teddy walked down the hall, moving deeper into the dungeons, while Rose made her way back up toward the Great Hall.

Merlin, she was _ridiculously_ hungry. Since dinner was most likely over, she decided to go down to the kitchens and see if she could find any leftovers.

Hopefully she'd be able to snag a snack…

* * *

So she hadn't shown up to dinner, after all.

Hugo frowned as he absentmindedly made his way upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower, ignoring the people behind him who were grumbling about his slow pace.

Where could she be?

He wondered if she'd been upset enough to stay in her room all day…

Hugo still couldn't believe what he'd seen. Was she really _that_ affected by _Malfoy?_ There was no fucking way his sister… his _sister!_ He shook his head furiously as the image of Rose standing together with Scorpius Malfoy arose in his mind.

He had to think about something else, and quick.

He changed course and went to the Head Dormitories. If Rose had really left, at least he might be able to catch Albus and ask him if he'd seen her…

Several minutes later found Hugo heading downstairs toward the kitchens.

Albus had informed him that Rose was helping Zabini with some girl issues and that she hadn't come back to the Head Dorms afterward. Knowing Rose as well as he did, Hugo decided to try the kitchens. She wouldn't be able to go almost a full day without food.

He finally reached the painting of fruit and tickled the pear, waiting impatiently for it to turn into a handle. At long last, the curved handle appeared, and he pulled the portrait open.

His sister was sitting at one of the long tables—the one that corresponded to _Slytherin_, Hugo noticed—eating an apple. If she noticed his entrance, she didn't acknowledge it.

"Rose," he said.

She looked up and smiled. "Hugo. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was erm, looking for you, actually."

"Oh, really? Did you need something?"

She seemed to be nicer than usual, Hugo observed. He wondered how he should broach the topic. He was unhappy, but he knew his sister well enough to know that she would lash out if he attacked her directly. He'd have to find a tactful way to bring it up…

"Well?" she prodded.

Hugo watched as she took another bite of the apple. "Can I have one of those?" he asked, moving closer to the table—a basket of fruit was sitting in front of Rose.

"Of course you can."

He sat down across from her, still extremely aware that this was the Slytherin table, and selected a green apple.

Rose smiled again and gestured toward her own half-eaten apple. "Thinking of Mother?" she said.

Hugo chuckled. "Yeah, sure."

He hadn't really been thinking about their mother, but he and Rose had noticed long ago that their mother had a preference for green apples. Their father, meanwhile, didn't care much for any particular kind of fruit.

"Hugo, I'm sure you didn't come down here for the fruit. What do you want?" Rose asked.

He took a bite out of his apple and chewed slowly, savoring the sweet, tangy flavor. Then he met the expectant eyes of his sister and sighed.

"Do you…" —tact, tact, tact; he had to be tactful— "…have a crush on Malfoy?"

Rose nearly spat out the bit of apple that was in her mouth, and Hugo flinched to the side instinctively. Had that been too blunt? It wasn't indelicate, though, was it?

"I thought I already told you that the rumors weren't true, Hugo," Rose said after she'd swallowed.

"This isn't about the rumors," Hugo said. "I saw you today, at the library."

"What did you see?" she asked.

"I saw you run away after you saw Malfoy snogging someone else."

His sister's face remained stolid, and Hugo was surprised. But the fact that she wasn't responding was a dead giveaway already. If she were innocent, she'd be telling him off right now.

"You saw, then," she finally said, softly.

Hugo's eyes widened. "So it's true!" he blurted.

Rose was silent.

"How _could_ you? He's a bloody _Malfoy_," Hugo said, glaring at his sister.

She took another bite of her apple, looking at the table as she chewed and swallowed.

"Rose, answer me."

"I don't _have_ to explain myself to you, Hugo," she said. "You're not my keeper. Frankly, it's none of your business who I'm sleeping with—"

Rose interrupted herself and dropped her apple, clapping both hands over her mouth. But it was already too late—the damage was done.

Hugo's jaw dropped. "You've _slept_ _with him?_"

His sister groaned miserably and dropped her head onto the table.

"Are you… is he your _boyfriend?_" Hugo asked, disgusted.

Rose sighed miserably and mumbled her response into the table. "Sort of."

Hugo took a moment to process this information. How… she was his _sister_. How could she ever have decided to like _Malfoy?_ Of all the foul gits in the world…

He looked at Rose and saw that she was avoiding his gaze. How long had this been going on? He longed to interrogate her about the… the _relationship_—he thought the word disgustedly—but he could see that she wasn't too keen on having that conversation.

Hugo hated to see his sister upset. It screamed injustice to him. He was the only one who had the right to needle her and make her angry. Remembering how she'd run away after seeing Malfoy with the other girl made his insides twist uncomfortably.

Maybe it'd be best to focus on the fact that Malfoy was a lying cheat rather than the fact that Rose had decided to like him. That could be saved for later, he supposed. First, there was his sister's pride to protect.

"And he had the _nerve_ to go snogging someone else?" Hugo said. "I'll pummel him."

He set the bitten apple down and got to his feet, but Rose's hand jerked forward, catching his arm before he could leave.

"Don't," she said, her voice a little muffled by the table.

"Why the bloody hell not? I don't approve of you two being together, but between the two of you, if anyone is allowed to cheat, it's you."

"I'm not angry with him, Hugo."

He sat back down, staring at the top of her head with a dumbfounded expression. "Rose… I never thought of you as a pushover, but—"

"It's not that," she interrupted tiredly. "It's hard to explain, but… he did it because of me."

"No bloody way. You'd never want—"

"Yes, I know," said Rose, lifting her head to look at him. "Look, I just… well, you know the circumstances under which you found out. I didn't mean for it to happen."

Hugo nodded.

"I didn't want people to know about us because of how Mum and Dad would react."

"Dad would kill him," Hugo said.

"Exactly."

"That's a good thing."

Hugo received a venomous stare from his sister and decided that it'd be best to keep such thoughts to himself, at least until she got over this… this insanity.

"Scorpius heard—"

"_Scorpius?_" Hugo said, cringing.

"Yes, Scorpius. I already told you that he's my boyfriend—sort of. Do you honestly think I wouldn't be on a first name basis with him?" Rose said, exasperated. Then she continued, "Scorpius heard the rumors going around and didn't want people to think they were true, so he wanted to kiss another girl so that it'd be clear that he was taken. Or interested in someone else."

Hugo supposed that that would have worked, if the girl was a blabbermouth. Most of the rumors going around had said that Rose and Scorpius had been secret lovers for a long time. Seeing Scorpius kissing someone else would have gotten rid of those notions.

Bloody hell… Hugo still couldn't believe that his sister was dating _that_ grade-A prat.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

Hugo looked back at his sister. Had she kept on talking? He'd stopped listening already.

"No one's going to like this," he said.

"We're not going to tell anyone," said Rose.

"So what, are you just going to stay in a secret relationship forever?"

"No. It's just… I'm not ready to tell people. And I don't think Dad is ready to see Scorpius as anything more than a spoiled heir to the Malfoy fortune."

"Fine," said Hugo. "Do what you want. It's not as though I have a right to control your life or anything."

"I hope you'll see what I see, eventually," said Rose.

Hugo managed a snort. "I sure hope not. If I start lusting after _Malfoy_, I think I'll throw myself off the Astronomy Tower."

Rose laughed heartily, and Hugo could see that his sister was sincerely happy. That had to mean that she and Malfoy had made up, after all. But he'd been _cheating_, whatever the reasons. How could Rose just forgive him like that?

It wasn't right for someone to have so much influence over his sister. One action from him could make her despair, but it seemed just as easy for him to win her back over. Hugo didn't like the thought of his sister being manipulated by some sneaky Slytherin.

He had to do something about this.

* * *

Loud banging on the door to the Common Room roused Albus from his nap, and he groaned, lifting a hand to rub his eyes. Albus sat up slowly. He must have fallen asleep on the couch, waiting for Rose to get back.

How long had he been asleep?

He got to his feet and went to the door, pulling it open.

"Gosh, what took you so long?"

Albus rolled his eyes. "Hey, Lily. Did you need something?"

"I was just wondering if you'd seen Hugo anywhere," she said. "He promised we'd go flying together."

Albus frowned. "Now? Tonight?"

Lily immediately shook her head. "No, of course not."

"It's against the rules," said Albus. "Were you two planning—"

"No, no. Definitely not," said Lily.

Albus grinned and folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah right you weren't."

"Well, _you_ wouldn't let me on the team," Lily said. "We've always got class, and it's hard to find times when the pitch isn't occupied. And—oh, never mind. Do you know where Hugo is or not?"

"No, I don't," said Albus.

His little sister rolled her eyes at him exasperatedly. "Ugh, what a waste of time. Bye."

"Wait—I know where he might be."

"Then why didn't you say so?"

"Because I like pissing you off."

Lily groaned. "You're getting to be more and more like _James_. I thought people were supposed to get more _mature_ when they grew up."

"Hey, I'm still a long way off from grown up. And don't compare me to James. At least I haven't forced first years to do stupid dares by threatening to take away house points."

"That was just one time," said Lily, rising to their elder brother's defense.

"Yeah, but only because Professor Finnigan threatened to thrash him if he did it again," said Albus.

"I suppose that's true," Lily conceded. "But still, what happened to my wonderful, considerate, shy big brother? James fills the role of obnoxious, rude, overprotective brother more than enough."

Albus frowned. "Really? Wonderful, considerate, and shy? Did you think I was a _girl_, Lily?"

She burst into laughter, and he stared at her for a moment before joining her—it was almost impossible not to find Lily's laugh both amusing and adorable. As she was catching her breath, she inadvertently snorted, which sent both her and Albus into renewed peals of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked from down the hall.

Albus managed to suppress his mirth and replied, "Lily Luna."

Rose smiled as she reached them. "Of course."

"Did Hugo find you?" Albus asked her. "Lily was looking for him."

"Still am, actually," said Lily—she'd gotten her laughter under control and was now focusing on taking deep, slow breaths.

"Yes, he did," Rose said. "I think he's headed back up to Gryffindor Tower."

"Ugh!" Lily groaned. "I can't _believe_—"

"What's wrong?" asked Rose.

"Oh, nothing," said Lily quickly.

Rose narrowed her eyes at Lily. "Are you two up to something?"

"No," said Lily, shaking her head but glancing at Albus out of the corner of her eye.

Albus smiled. His sister was an awful liar. But who was he to talk? He knew himself to be a dreadful liar as well—they'd _definitely_ gotten that trait from their father. He could never keep secrets from anyone, especially not from their mother. Of the three siblings, James was the only skilled liar.

"Well, be careful," said Rose.

Lily gave Rose a nervous smile. "We will."

"Just don't get anyone killed, and most importantly, don't get caught."

All three of them laughed at this last statement from Rose. Then Lily bade them good night and headed down the hall, presumably to have a nice talk with Hugo about forgetting to meet her.

As soon as Lily's footsteps faded, Albus noticed that Rose was avoiding his eyes.

"We still need to talk," he said.

Rose sighed. "Yes, we do."

She pushed past him and entered their common room, and he pushed the door shut behind her. Then he turned back around to see her sitting down on one of their couches, hands twisting nervously in her lap.

"What were you so upset about this afternoon?" Albus asked.

"Oh, that. That doesn't… it doesn't matter anymore," said Rose.

"Then what did you have to talk to me about?"

Rose took a deep breath and seemed to prepare herself for what she was about to say.

Albus frowned. "Should I sit down for this or something?" he asked.

Rose laughed nervously. "You can sit."

He crossed the room and sat on the couch that faced hers—they had three couches that formed a U-shape. Why this was the case Albus had no idea, seeing as the Head Dormitories only housed two students each year.

"I'm dating Scorpius Malfoy."

Albus' mouth was suddenly very dry. So he'd been right. Well… almost right. He hadn't thought that they were actually _dating_, that they considered themselves a couple.

How long had they been together? She must have been lying through her teeth all year.

He supposed he could understand why she wouldn't want him to know, but the fact that she'd kept on lying ate at him. He thought she trusted him more than that.

"Albus…" she said in a soft voice, "say something."

He kept his eyes on the ground. "How long?"

"How long, what?"

"How long have you and Malfoy been together?"

When Rose didn't respond immediately, Albus knew that she was conflicted, trying to decide whether or not to lie to him.

"Please don't lie to me again," he said. "It's enough that you've been lying to me all term. It was Malfoy in your room on the first night back, wasn't it?"

He glanced up in time to see her guilty nod.

"Albus, I'm sorry," said Rose. "I just… I knew that you never liked Scorpius. I thought you'd be pissed if you found out that we—"

He took a deep breath. "I don't know what I'm more upset about. The fact that you're actually dating a _Malfoy_ or that you lied to me for such a long time—you still haven't told me exactly how long you've been… how long you and him have been together."

Rose sighed. "It started a little after the beginning of sixth year," she admitted.

"Wow. Over a year," said Albus, nodding because he wasn't sure what to do with himself. "And you kept it from me all this time because you thought I wouldn't approve? Is that it?"

She threw an angry glance in his direction. "Well? _Would_ you approve? _Do_ you approve? I doubt it."

"You act as though not getting my approval would affect your decision. You've never let other people's opinions change your mind. My opinion doesn't count all that much to you, anyway, does it?" he said, bitterness filling his mouth.

"Albus, you're one of my best friends, and my closest cousin. Your opinion does matter to me."

"But—"

"Just let me get this out, okay? And then you can… berate me however you want."

Albus sighed and waved a hand, gesturing for her to continue.

"Look, the main reason why I didn't want you to know was so that you wouldn't have to lie to your parents about me. I know that you don't keep secrets from them—at least, not about big things. And this would probably be a pretty big deal, considering our family histories."

Albus nodded.

"I thought it'd be best if you just didn't know at all, that way you wouldn't be able to accidentally—"

"I'm not stupid, Rose. I'm a careful person," said Albus.

"Yes, I know that. I just thought it'd be better if you didn't have to worry about it."

"Was that _really_ your main reason?" said Albus doubtfully.

"Well, I was also a bit worried about your reaction. I mean, we've been rivals with him for most of our time at school, and I know that you two have had it out on the Quidditch pitch more than once. And last year there was the whole… Lily fiasco, and—"

"I still haven't—"

"I know, I know. He hasn't brought it up either, though."

"Are you—you're not on _his_ side, are you?"

Rose shook her head hurriedly. "No, of course not."

Albus narrowed his eyes. "Somehow I doubt you're telling the truth."

"Look, I was one of the only people who heard both sides of the story—_truthfully_," Rose said. "I know who was in the right, and it was Lily."

Albus only grunted in response.

Last year, Malfoy had repeatedly insulted Lily's friends for about the span of a week, and Lily, finally fed up with his needling, had cornered him for a talk. But he'd only continued to piss her off, and she'd attacked him.

Malfoy hadn't been carrying a wand, and the spectators who saw Lily attacking blamed it all on her because Malfoy had been defenseless. It had taken a lot of effort for Albus to convince all of the professors that Lily wasn't solely to blame—the picture painted by eyewitnesses wasn't favorable to Lily at all.

Albus knew why he'd done it. Slytherin had just lost to Gryffindor, and Malfoy had wanted some form of revenge on their team. Provoking Lily into attacking him had been his way of getting back at Albus because the professors had forced her to publicly apologize to him, even though Albus had successfully convinced them that Malfoy wasn't completely innocent.

Nasty little bugger, that Malfoy.

"We cannot give students the impression that it is acceptable to attack an unarmed opponent simply because he or she is mouthing off," Professor McGonagall had said.

And when Albus had stressed for what felt like the millionth time that Malfoy had been doing it intentionally, McGonagall had pointed out several instances in which Adam, Hugo, and Dane had picked fights with members of the Slytherin team.

"Are you only saying that because—" Albus began.

Rose shot to her feet, and Albus looked up at her, a bit startled.

"This is _exactly_ what I didn't want to happen. Before I told you that I was dating Scorpius, you would _never_ have insinuated that I would deny the truth in favor of a blatant lie," she said angrily.

"Well, you've been lying. What am I supposed to expect?"

"Just because I've lied about _one_ thing doesn't mean I'm a habitual liar! Liking Malfoy does _not_ change my character at all. I'm still the same Rose who grew up with you, Albus. Are you seriously going to start looking at me differently just because I fell for a childhood rival?"

Unhappy with the fact that he had to crane his neck to look at her, Albus got to his feet.

"I'm looking at you differently because you lied to me about something so big for so long. If you—"

"Oh, so if I'd told you right after the very first time that it happened that I'd slept with Scorpius, you would have been fine with it? Is _that_ what you're trying to say?"

"No! It's just… I know I wouldn't have been okay with you and Malfoy. But it would have made me feel better that you were being honest—"

"Oh, that's a load of bollocks," said Rose, shaking her head. "You wouldn't have wanted to hear that."

"Of course not, but I'd rather have the truth than a lie."

"Technically I didn't lie to you at all last year. You didn't have a clue anything was going on. Was I supposed to just tell you, out of the blue?"

Albus sighed. "Fine. I'll forget about last year. What about the first night? You could have—"

"I wasn't ready, okay? Hell, I'm _still_ not ready. I didn't want to tell you, but you seemed to have guessed it already anyway. And Hugo saw…"

"Saw what?"

"Nothing. But he knows now, too."

"Was it Malfoy's idea for you two to keep the relationship secret?" asked Albus. "It'd be typical of him as a Malfoy—not wanting to associate with people who didn't have _pure_ blood."

Rose sighed. "No. It was my choice. Scorpius has wanted us to go public for a little while, now."

"What about at the beginning, then?"

"I still didn't want anyone to know. And I'm not saying this just to protect him. This is the truth."

"How am I supposed to know that you're not lying right now?"

"Damn it, Albus! If I was going to lie to you, then I would have kept up the old lie. There is no good reason for me to poke a hole in the trust that you have—_had_—for me. I'm telling you the truth, now."

He sighed. "Did you feel guilty?"

"Of course I did. I know that it's not enough to make up for it, but I did feel guilty. Especially when we spoke in private after the match—you apologized for accusing me of being attracted to Scorpius, and I… I almost told you right then."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because you would have exploded in my face."

He nodded. "I guess you're right. I would have been furious. But I'm already pissed right now, as it is. I just…"

"I'm sorry, Albus."

"_Sorry_ doesn't quite cut it."

"I don't know what else to tell you, then. These are my emotions. I really like him, and he really likes me. I'm not going to let anything come between us."

Albus couldn't deny that she looked very serious about this—she wasn't messing around.

"I just… I don't want my parents to know yet. At least, I don't want them to hear about this from someone else. I'll tell them myself, when I see them."

"Over winter break then, you mean?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'll talk to them over break."

"So you want me to keep your secret until then?"

"Yes."

"All right," said Albus. "Who else knows about it?"

"Hugo."

Albus thought back to what had happened when he tried to speak to Rose earlier, how Zabini had appeared and interrupted them. He knew that Zabini and Malfoy were close—their fathers co-owned a large multinational conglomerate, and the two boys had grown up together.

"Does Zabini know, too?" he asked.

Rose sighed, a small smile on her face. "Yes, that bastard knows too."

"How long has _he_ known?"

"He only knows because he and Scorpius are close."

"Oh, and I'm not close to you? Is that it? Is Nadine not close enough either?"

"Albus, don't do this."

He held both palms out to her. "All right, fine. Are we done here, then?"

"I'm sorry, Albus. Really."

"Are we done?" he repeated.

"Yes."

Albus got to his feet and headed up the staircase that led to his room. She didn't try to stop him, and he couldn't tell whether this made him angrier or not. He slammed the door behind him and moved to his bed, where he sat down and stared at the ground.

He knew that he'd forgive Rose later, but he was still too wound up about how long she'd kept all this from him. It didn't help that he'd had a crush on her for quite a while, but he knew how she felt about that and had kept his feelings on a leash.

Knowing that Rose was _dating_ Scorpius Malfoy… that she had been sleeping with him for _over a year_ already… it was too much.

Too damn much.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Again, sorry about the uber lag in posting this story! I usually have several chapters lined up as a buffer, but I'm going to have to come clean and admit that I didn't do it this time around. Fudgecakes! Hahaha. So I'm currently working on Chapter 6… hopefully it won't be another month before I post again. Sorry, sorry, sorry!

If it helps, you guys are awesome and I love you for reading!


End file.
